Roast Chicken with Shallots

Again, I've been terrible. So sorry (I should probably just stop apologizing and resign myself to the fact that I will not post every single day).  I have a few things I definitely want to post about, and I've been brainstorming topics.  But for today, I have a delicious recipe.

I found this dish over a year ago and I probably make it at least once a month. I honestly have no idea where I got it from - I have adapted it over time to make it my own, subbing out ingredients, cutting out others, adding still others in.  It's so easy and it's the kind of dish that makes people think you spent a long time slaving over. It has a super savory flavor and everyone who has tried it has asked me for the recipe. Definitely something to try if you like chicken with some real flavor.

The side dish is Onion Roasted Sweet Potatoes.  This is something I make ALL the time.  We love sweet potato in my house, so we always have them on hand. While peeling and chopping the sweet potato isn't my favorite part, it always relaxes me. Aside from that, the dish couldn't really be any easier.


Roast Chicken with Shallots & Onion Roasted Sweet Potato

For the chicken: 

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp honey

2 large shallots, peeled and minced

4 pieces bone-in chicken (You can use any kind - I have made this recipe with chicken breast, chicken thigh, etc.  Just adjust cooking time accordingly)

Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper (for seasoning)

Directions

1. Preheat over to 425 degrees. 

2. In a baking dish large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer, combine the first five ingredients, whisking to combine. 

3. Toss the chicken in, coating it with the shallots. 

4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. 

5. Place the chicken face up on the pan in a single layer. 

6. Bake for 20 minutes, until the chicken starts to brown on top. Turn the chicken over and spoon the pan juices and shallots on top. 

7. Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the shallots are caramelized. 

8. Remove from the oven, serve, and enjoy!

For the sweet potato: 

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2" - 1" chunks. 

1 packet Lipton Recipe Secret Onion Soup and Dip Mix

2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

2. In a large bowl, mix all three ingredients, making sure that the sweet potato is well-coated. 

3. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. 

4. Bake for 20 minutes. 

5. Toss the potatoes, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until you can easily spear the potato with a fork. 

6. Remove from the oven, serve, and enjoy! 

XoXo, 

Jen

Couscous Salad with Roasted Chicken

Just because I've decided not to focus TOTALLY on food doesn't mean I won't talk about food at all! I have several recipes stored with their corresponding photos and I really do want to share them with you!

Lately I've been on quite a couscous kick. It's so easy to make, you can add more or less whatever you want to it, and it doesn't make you feel like you ate a loaf of Cuban bread when you're done. When I was looking for a simple weeknight meal, I found this recipe. So I hit up my grocery store and picked up a whole rotisserie chicken, chopped it up, and made this delicious meal for dinner. It doesn't require a whole lot of explaining, and it's VERY simple if you pick up the cooked chicken on your way home.  Of course, if you want to be a show-off, you can season and roast your own chicken, too. ;)  I was not feeling that ambitious on this particular day.

I didn't think Eddie would like it too much, since it is a simple, one-dish meal - no sides or anything. But he loved it! And I hope you will too!

Couscous Salad with Roasted Chicken
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1/3 cup uncooked couscous (I used whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups chopped roasted chicken breast
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
4 green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Prepare couscous according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Fluff couscous with a fork.
2. Combine couscous, chicken, tomatoes, parsley, mint, onions, and garlic in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, and salt in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Pour dressing over couscous mixture; toss gently.

Recipe adapted from:  Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals

Enjoy!

Xoxo,

Jen

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

So since we pigged out on delicious food all weekend, this week has been a little more on the low-key, less fattening side. Monday night was definitely a "no rice, no pasta" kind of night. Chicken and veggies were the players in this meal.

I also didn't want to include a lot of sauces, and seeing as I got my delicious Florida Sunshine seasoning at Mickey's Pantry this weekend, I decided I would use that. It is a salt blend, so I didn't want to use too much, but luckily, there was no need to! The seasoning itself was delicious. If you don't have this seasoning, no worries... use 1 1/2 tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp grated ginger, and 1/2 tsp lemon zest. It also uses dried rose petals, so if you want to pulverize some and toss that in, too - great!

I had a lot of veggies, and I really wanted to use them so that they didn't go bad.


Roast Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped onoins
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 large yellow pepper, seeded and sliced
6 asparagus spears, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
6 baby carrots, chopped (I used organic, non-engineered carrots, and I also threw in the chopped greens from the tops of the carrots - they added a pretty intense flavor)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp Florida Sunshine seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper

4 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Florida Sunshine seasoning


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix vegetables, garlic, paprika, Florida Sunshine, olive oil, and pepper in a large bowl until completely mixed and vegetables are coated.

Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.  Season chicken with pepper and Florida Sunshine.  Place chicken on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes on one side. After 10 minutes, turn chicken and place vegetables on the sheet as well, spreading as evenly as possible.  Bake for another 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes have passed, change the setting on the oven to broil, and leave chicken and vegetables in oven. Broil until the chicken and vegetables begin to brown, about 4-6 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

xoxo

Jen

P.S. This is an original recipe. :)

Alfredo Pasta with Chicken and Italian Sausage

So I'm going to admit something...

I use store bought sauces! Ahhh, there I said it!

On my cooking "bucket list" several items are sauces, and a lot of times, for simple sauces, I make them myself. Pesto, for example, is one I absolutely do not buy - it tastes sooo much better from scratch. But whenever I make pasta it is usually because I'm not in the mood to work too hard. Today was one of those days.  I'm pretty sure that making alfredo sauce from scratch will do one of two things. 1) Make me never want to eat alfredo sauce again because I will know just how fattening it is (that happened to me with hollandaise sauce :(  So sad.) 2) Make me never want to eat store bought alfredo sauce because it is so good.
So one day, soon, I will make my own.  But for today's recipe, I let myself off easy and went with something that wouldn't make me work too hard. <b></b> So if you consider yourself a sauce snob, either stop reading here or find yourself a recipe for alfredo sauce from scratch and throw it together, substituting it for the store-bought one I include.

I was looking through my freezer and found some Italian sausages, so I decided to add those into the mix.  I enjoyed it, but it might not be something that everyone likes. You can sub the sausage for shrimp, or you can cut it out altogether if you want. Either way, the recipe was delish, and Eddie might as well have licked his plate clean (always a great sign, right?).

Alfredo Pasta with Chicken and Italian Sausage

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 links Italian sausage
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 1/2 cup Rotini pasta
1 jar alfredo sauce
chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Once ready, set aside.
In a large saute pan, heat olive oil.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, place in pan, along with sausage links. Once chicken has become golden on one side, flip over, adding the chicken broth to the pan (this keeps everything very juicy).  Add the mushrooms and parsley.  Turn the sausage links periodically so that they cook through.
Once the chicken and sausages are cooked, remove from heat and cut into strips. Add the mushrooms, chicken and sausages to the cooked pasta. In the same pan where you cooked the chicken, pour the alfredo sauce until just boiling.
Serve the pasta mixture and pour the warmed alfredo sauce over it, garnishing with parsely. Enjoy!

Xoxo, 

Jen

Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

Right after my hubby and I bought our home and had finished furnishing and painting the place, we invited our parents over for a home-cooked meal by yours truly. I was petrified. What the heck should I make? How could I be sure it would be good? So I went with something simple and straightforward, with ingredients I knew everyone would enjoy. 

It was super easy, and the chicken came out the way my father-in-law likes it - "con color".  

Last night I wasn't feeling so hot, so I decided to do something I knew and could finish quickly. This time, I changed it up and instead of doing chicken breast strips, which meant I would have to cut up the chicken, I used whole chicken thighs, since I had them defrosted already. It was very full of flavor, and I was done cooking it, including prep and everything, in under 20 minutes.  (You can't say that's not fast!) Definitely a great weeknight meal, and one that I know I'll be repeating again. 

Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

Ingredients

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs or 2 skinless chicken breast fillets

2 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp paprika

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Stir in the chicken, onion, garlic, and paprika over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side.

Once cooked, add the lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot, and enjoy!

Adapted from Best Ever 30-minute Cookbook by Jenni Fleetwood

Xoxo, 

Jen