Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Have you noticed that many vegetables develop a sweetness when roasted? If you have trouble getting veggies into your kids, roasting may be your new best friend. Also, roasting is a great cooking method when you are trying to eat healthy. It doesn’t require butter or sauce so you don’t add extra calories to your veggies! When you roast vegetables, the natural sugars caramelize, creating a sweetness, as well as crispy edges. Truly… they are yumiliscious!

You can take this basic recipe and switch it up based on your favorite veggies… or what you happen to have in the vegetable drawer. My favorite combinations always include leeks and mushrooms but go with what you like.

This is also a great opportunity to try different veggies out on your family. Throw in a veggie that they have never tried along with veggies that they like. Acorn or butternut squash, turnips, parsnips, peppers and rutabagas all work great with this recipe.

Here’s the basic recipe to get you started:

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients:

• Skinless Chicken Pieces (I had boneless, skinless thighs)
• Assorted Vegetables (I like to use root vegetables because they stand up to the heat and cooking time)
• Olive Oil
• Garlic, minced
• Sea salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry. Wash and trim veggies and cut into large, uniform chunks. (This time I used sweet potatoes, baby red potatoes, leeks, red onions, mushrooms and zucchini.) Combine chicken pieces and veggies in baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil – just enough to lightly coat (about 3 tablespoons should do it). Add as much garlic as you  like (I like to add 3 cloves) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss all together. (You can also add sprigs of fresh thyme and/or rosemary. And, I have also added slices of lemon.)

Bake for 45 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked through.

Serve family style or remove to a pretty platter.

Enjoy the sweet goodness!

Sweetest Blessings,
LeAnn