Step 1

1 Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees

Step 2

2 Pat the chicken dry with a tea towel or paper towels and transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or similarly sized casserole

Step 3

3 In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, cumin and paprika until evenly combined

Step 4

4 Evenly season both sides of the chicken with the spice mixture, finishing with them skin-side up

Step 5

5 Scatter the onion over the baking dish and top each piece of chicken with a pat of butter

Step 6

6 Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the chicken is golden on top and reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees

Step 7

7 If the chicken was browned to your liking after baking, you can skip this step

Step 8

8 Otherwise, set the oven to broil

Step 9

9 Carefully raise the rack to 5 or 6 inches from the broiler and return the baking dish to the oven and broil for 2 minutes, or until nicely browned

Step 10

10 (If your broiler is on the bottom, transfer the baking dish to the broiler drawer

Step 11

11 )

Step 12

12 Let cool slightly before serving, making sure to spoon some of the pan juices over top