Saturday, December 18, 2010

Roasted Chicken breast

Chicken...yummy!  I have been trying to cook more vegetarian but chicken stands in my way.  Yummy, moist, delicious chicken breast -- the main reason I fail as a vegetarian.  I mean seriously, who wants to give up chicken strips, coconut chicken, chicken fajitas, bbq chicken, chicken kabobs, and my craving today ROASTED CHICKEN.  It is seriously delicious.  Super moist, with tons of flavor, dissolves in your mouth.  Oh so good and oh so easy.  Here is how I make it:

Ingredients:
Brown Basamati Rice
Veggies of your choiceChicken Breast
  Spread:
    Butter
    Garlic
    Salt & Pepper
    Thyme

Preheat the oven to 500
Since brown rice takes so long to make I usually begin my meals by starting the rice. If you have decided that you don't like brown rice you need to try brown basmati.  Recently, I tried it and have become a HUGE fan.  Given the option I will always pick brown basmati.


Take the rice


 Add water or broth (I love making it with vegetable broth)


I add a tad of butter and a little sea salt.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes (worth the wait)


I once read that while roasting your chicken you can add your veggies under the roasting pan.  I cover the pan with foil and put some veggies on foil under the broiler tray. You can put any veggies here: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, butternut squash...pretty much anything. I only had onions and carrots on hand so that is what I used.  Have fun with it


Place 2 chicken breast (bone-in and skin-on) on a roasting pan.


 take some room temperature butter


chop 2 cloves of garlic

add garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme to your butter


and smash them together.


Make a delicious spread


which you will rub over the chicken breast


Pull back the skin and rub the herbed butter all over the chicken breast.


Then pull the skin back over the chicken breast.


Season with additional salt & pepper and roast for 30 minutes until the chicken breast reads 170 degrees.


Oh my goodness!  Isn't that beautiful! 


Cover the chicken with foil as you finish up the rest of your meal.  This allows the chicken time to "rest." It allows the juices to re-enter the chicken vs just running on your plate.


I should have turned the veggies at least once during the roasting process but I totally forgot.  Luckily for me they turned out caramelized.  I LOVE caramelized veggies (especially onions).


So you have two options:
Either serve the chicken on the bone (Santosh's preference)



or cut the chicken off the bone (my preference)


My goal with every meal is to help show you how easy it is to cook a delicious meal right from your very own kitchen.  Now, GO ENJOY!

From my Stove-Top with Love

**Cabbage recipe to come...

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