Paper bags are popular cooking tools in Amish kitchens. There are pies made in paper bags, chicken done as shake and bake, and lunches paced in paper sacks. There was a "paper bag" factory in my hometown for a number of years that churned out lunch-bag type paper-bags. This is a recipe for delicious paper sack chicken. My parents made it over the weekend from an Amish recipe and here's Dad's advice after making it:
"Would definitely recommend when shaking chicken in the bag the person keeps a hand under the bag. I think this is especially important since after the first few pieces the bag starts to get pretty oily. If someone were not supporting the bottom, they could have a big mess."
This recipe is not a bake-in-the-bag version, in this recipe the bag is used just seal and shake and it does a super job doing that of created a perfectly coated, wonderful chicken.
Still, paper bags are a great tool for baking chicken. You don't have to worry about it catching on fire (the burn point for a paper bag is about 450 degrees, you'll be baking this at 375. Amish cooks have perfected paper bag cooking when it comes to chicken, because they know the bag traps steam and seals in flavor so you get a super moist meat. But I like this no-bake bag version because you don't have to worry about somehow the paper accidentally catching on fire, but you still get the sealed in flavor.
🙋 FAQ
This recipe is not a bake-in-the-bag, but you COULD adapt this for that. I'd not recommend, though, taking the chicken out and turning over pieces because the bag will be soggy by then and not hold together well. To do baking in a bag, you really need one of those strong grocery sack type paper bag.
Chicken is probably the most popular meat on an Amish farm. It’s versatile, it’s cheap, it’s readily available to most Amish cooks. It’s interesting, because a lot of Amish people do raise turkeys, but they raise them to sell, you don’t see a ton of turkey being eaten on Amish farms. Not sure why that is, probably just because it’s a more labor-intensive than chicken. And chicken, it’s pretty labor-intensive, because birds have to be good plugged and butchered. The same is true for turkeys, they’re just larger birds. So more work and who needs that?
By the way, do you say "sack" or "bag." People in my part of the United States, especially people over 50, definitely seem inclined to say "sack." I always just called it a paper bag, but sack seems to be a regional term around here.
🍗 Paper Sack Chicken Ingredients
- ⅓ c. vegetable oil
- ⅓ c. butter
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- 1 tsp. dried marjoram
- 8 or 9 pieces chicken
📋 Instructions
- Place oil and butter in a shallow cooking pan and place in 375 degree oven
- to melt butter, set aside.
- In a large paper sack combine dry ingredients. Roll the chicken pieces 3 at a time in butter and oil then drop into a sack and shake to cover.
- Place on a plate.
- Place chicken in the pan with the melted butter, skin side down or its just as good if you remove all the skin first.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes with spatula, turn chicken pieces over and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until skin begins to bubble.
🍗 More Chicken Recipes
Brown Sugar and Garlic Chicken
One-Pan Smothered Chicken and Bacon
Alma Miller's World's Best Chicken
🖨️Full Recipe
Ada Mast's Delicious Paper Sack Chicken
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- 1 tsp. dried marjoram
- 8 or 9 pieces chicken
Instructions
- Place oil and butter in a shallow cooking pan and place in 375 degree oven to melt butter, set aside.
- In a large paper sack combine dry ingredients. ble.
- Roll the chicken pieces 3 at a time in butter and oil then drop into a sack and shake to cover.
- Place on a plate.
- Place chicken in the pan with the melted butter, skin side down or its just as good if you remove all the skin first.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes with spatula, turn chicken pieces over and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until skin begins to bubble.
Abby
I'm confused. Do I roll the chicken in the hot melted oil/butter mixture, shake it in the bag and then return it to the oil/butter pan? Thanks for the help - I'd like to try this!
Kevin Williams
Always good to hear from you, Abby, yes, sorry if confusing, but you described it correctly, roll in the hot mixture, shake in the bag, and return to the pan. Hope it turns out!