Simple Roasted Chicken
cooking method adapted from: Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen
Adapted by: Simply Fit Mama
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Seasonings: Garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, cracked pepper, to taste.
1 whole chicken, back bone cut out
Details:
Backbone cut out, huh?? This is easy; do it once and you will be a pro at it then it will take you two minutes while you are rinsing your chicken. Soo...while you are rinsing your chicken grab those kitchen shears out of your knife block and flip the chicken so that the breast side is down. Start to cut on one side of the backbone and cut from one end to the other. The chicken should open up now, then take those shears to the other side of the backbone and cut from one end to the other. Discard the backbone. Open the chicken up and finish rinsing, pat dry. This step just saved you 30 minutes to an hour of cooking time.
Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 500 degrees. This recipe will smoke up the house some, so turn on the fans and open a door.
-Spray cooking spray on the pan and then the rack. (easier clean-up)
-Spray cooking spray on the pan and then the rack. (easier clean-up)
-Pat chicken dry, rub with olive oil and season generously inside and out, especially between the skin and breast meat.
-Place chicken breast side up, on broiler pan rack.
-Roast chicken 40-45 minutes until juices run clear on the thickest part of thigh.
-Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
-Place chicken breast side up, on broiler pan rack.
-Roast chicken 40-45 minutes until juices run clear on the thickest part of thigh.
-Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Baked Sweet Potatoes
If you don't know how to bake a sweet potato you are missing out! They are delicious. I love mine plain. The kiddos and my husband enjoy them with cinnamon and a little brown sugar or maple syrup.
- Sweet potatoes, go ahead and make the whole bag (you can use them for lunch, or put them in the freezer, they freeze well and then you have a side already done for later on in the month).
- Foil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and scrub sweet potatoes and wrap them individually in foil while they are still wet, no need to dry. Place in the oven on a cookie sheet or else you risk an occasional gooey mess leaking from the foil. Bake for about an hour depending on the size of the potatoes. You want them to be soft when you squeeze them. You can also put them on the grill on high for about 30-45 minutes. *I put them in with the whole chicken on a cookie sheet, they cooked just fine at 500 degrees.
Green Beans
I love the Haricot Vert frozen green beans from Trader Joe's. I love fresh, too. But often I am disappointed with the fresh selection and who knows how long it has been since it was harvested. So there is nothing wrong with frozen green beans, just make sure there is nothing added to the mix, you know like preservatives. The ingredients should read: green beans.
- 1 tblsp Extra-virgin olive oil or Organic extra-virgin coconut oil
- Half a bag of TJs Haricot Vert frozen green beans
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp paprika
- Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste.
Heat a medium to large frying pan at a medium-high heat. Add the green beans and stir them around a bit. Let them cook for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and paprika. Turn the heat down to low-medium setting. Cover and let cook until tender, this will take about 8-10 minutes. Remove cover add salt and pepper.
The instructions on the back say to boil or steam I believe...but don't do it! A little good fat is great and seasoning always makes for yummy veggies. Boiled bland veggies do not taste good.
