Sunday, May 7, 2017

It's easy, AND good for you

This recipe is one of new favorites. It's all over the internet, so I certainly can't take credit for it. I have tweaked it a little to make it mine, of course.

I've been researching lots of recipes the past few weeks since I've been doing the Whole30 meal plan. Basically, Whole30 means no dairy, no grains, no sugar, no legumes, no alcohol, for 30 days. You can have butter, if it's clarified. But no cheating with gluten-free anything. The idea, for me especially, has been to make myself less dependent on bread, pasta, sugar and high-fat foods. I think I've been doing pretty well. I'll write more about my whole journey on a future blog. And check out the Whole30 site for more info on the plan.

So this recipe has a few of my various tweaks -- just use the flavors you like best, or to keep it an easy dish even suitable for a busy weeknight meal, just use whatever you have on hand. On a side note, Jeff would like me to point out that he is awesome. He is, so there you go.

Ingredients

  • 8-10 pieces of bone in chicken thighs 
  • 1 lb . baby red potatoes (or whole small potatoes, or cut yellow or russet potatoes)
  • 1/2 in onion - cut large pieces (I skip this sometimes)
  • carrots -- either baby carrots or whole carrots cut in pieces similar in size to your potatoes
  • 2 lemons and 2 limes (this is my biggest switch from the other recipes, which only use lemons. We really love the combo of both fruits)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil (I don't actually measure, just drizzle over everyone in the pool)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced (I skip this sometimes too)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary plus sprigs for garnish (or thyme, or dried if you don't have fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I definitely skip this - can't eat red pepper flakes at all)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt (again, why measure???)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (see salt note above - just use how much you think looks good)
  • sprinkle paprika or other seasoning if not using sprigs of rosemary or thyme

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Spray a glass 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange chicken pieces (skin side up), potatoes, sliced onion and lemon slices evenly in pan. Or, use foil-lined cookie sheets (with a raised side). Make sure the thighs are sitting on the sliced limes and lemons.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Pour mixture all over chicken and potatoes. Sprinkle all over generously with additional salt and pepper.
  4. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, or until chicken and potatoes are fully cooked.