Sunday Dinners, Roast Chicken

Cooking for my family gives me satisfaction. I know they are eating a healthy meal and we get to sit down together as a family before the hectic work week begins again. Tonight was no exception. I made roast chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner. Now, getting my husband to eat chicken is quite a task as he claims to have an aversion to chicken, yet he eats it every time. Here's my secret:

• Start with dark meat. Dark meat tends to be more flavorful than light meat, so I typically use leg quarters instead of breast meat.
• Buy bone-in, skin on chicken pieces. Boneless is great for quick cooking stir-fry, but for roast chicken you want the bone to keep your chicken juicy and the skin to get crispy.
• Season inside and out. I always put salt and aromatics under the skin of the chicken to lock in flavor. Tonight I tucked a slice of lemon and some fresh oregano under the skin.

• Don't forget to season the skin as well. Tonight I used salt, fresh cracked pepper, and garlic powder.

• Fat is flavor. I brushed on melted butter before roasting, but feel free to use a healthier fat like olive oil.
• Raise your chicken up. I used a broiler pan, but a tray with a roasting rack or even setting your chicken on cut vegetables would work. The idea is to get air circulation to the underside of the chicken so it doesn't get soggy.
• Start your oven hot. I put my chicken in a 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes before dropping the temperature to 400 to roast the rest of the way, until the internal temperature reaches 165. I got sidetracked a bit so my chicken might have cooked a bit longer than it should have, but it was dark meat so it was still juicy and delicious.
   



 

Now doesn't that look yummy? The skin was golden brown. and extra crispy. Now I could have made a pan jus from the drippings, but between the toddler teething and the teenagers being teenagers, I didn't, but I did serve these yummy pieces of chicken with some extra creamy mashed potatoes.

 

That's a hearty meal right there! I should have added a vegetable to round out the meal, but for now, just use your imagination. I only had zucchini from my garden and mushrooms in the fridge, and those aren't exactly the kid's favorite, so I omitted the vegetable to avoid an unnecessary argument. But don't worry, tomorrow is Meatless Monday and I think eggplant parmesan is on the menu.