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Delicious roast chiken can be a weeknight meal!

A few weeks ago my sister gave  me a phone call to tell me all about a recipe she had just made that was super delicious and I was dying to try it! To me, roast chicken seems like a weekend, long preparation type of meal, but my sister used chicken parts instead of a whole chicken and this moves roast chicken into the weekday meal category which makes me jump up and down for joy because I simply adore it! I made a number of changes in the ingredients to suit my family’s needs, but the essence of the recipe is the same.

We use heritage breed pastured chicken that we purchase from our Milk Club, which is supplied by a lovely Amish family in Pennsylvania. Because we live on an island there is limited access to local farm produce and absolutely no local dairy, so we had to get creative when we decided to make the switch to raw grass fed dairy products for our family.  We have been participating in the club for about a year and we love all the products we have purchased from them.

Most weeks, in addition to raw cow’s milk, we buy some grass fed beef, butter, raw cheese and soy free pastured eggs. We also really enjoy their pastured pork products such as uncured bacon and loose sausage. These products round out our purchases at the local organic farm where we get most of our vegetables and fruits. Very little is purchased from the super market unless it is absolutely necessary because we really like to support local, traditionally raised and “home grown” farms and products. Not only do these products support our local economy, we know where the food comes from, how it is raised, what it is fed and how wonderful it tastes! It is worth your effort to find local sources for the foods you eat, even if you have to go a little bit out of your way to get them!

So, I was lucky to have such a product assortment on hand when my sister called me with this easy “weeknight” version of Roasted Chicken with Winter Vegetables. She uses mushrooms in her version, but I didn’t have any, so I added in some whole garlic cloves instead. I also served this up with some wonderful Roasted Root Vegetables as a side dish and some pan gravy.

Quick Roasted Chicken with Winter Vegetables

Serves 4

Pre-heat oven to 375 Degrees

4 Pastured chicken quarters or leg and thigh combinations with skin still on or any combination of parts

5 Tbs or more raw milk butter

2 Tbs extra virgin organic olive oil

1 Large Onion cut into wide strips and cut in half again

1 Cup sliced mushrooms (optional)

1 Whole head garlic, separated and peeled but left whole (optional)

2 Cups Brussels sprouts cleaned, trimmed and cut in half

Small bunch fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried thyme

Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Thoroughly wash chicken parts and pat well dry. Using your hands, massage butter into all parts of the chicken and then sprinkle well with thyme, sea salt and pepper and massage into the parts as well. Place on large flat cooking pan with at least a 1 inch lip (a cookie sheet will do well) and place in oven, skin side up for about 40 minutes. There is no need to flip the chicken.

After 40 minutes, spread the chicken parts as far apart as possible and spread the onions and garlic, if using, into the pan and mix well with the chicken fat and butter mixture. Pour on 1 Tbs. of olive oil if there is not enough fat mixture to coat the vegetables and bake in oven for about 15 minutes.

Check the chicken to see if it has reached an internal temperature of 165. If it is cooked, remove it from the oven to a warmed plate (do not cover or the skin will not be crispy), spread the onions and garlic out on the pan and add in the sliced mushrooms, if using, mixing in well and cook for another 10 minutes.

Mix the Brussels sprouts into the pan vegetables at this point and add another 1 Tbs. olive oil if necessary. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the sprouts are golden brown and have some lovely brown bits from roasting. Depending on the size of the sprouts, you may have to cook them longer, but do not over cook them or they can become bitter. Continue to check and toss them until they are done to your liking. In the last five minutes of cooking, place the chicken back into the oven on a separate platter to re warm it and crisp the skin.

Serve chicken legs and thighs with the vegetable mixture and the pan juices poured over if you enjoy that.

I called my sister back the next day to thank her for another hit recipe. Even though her family eats much differently than we do, we all enjoy cooking and are able to adapt the ingredients to make ourselves happy! This recipe really seemed fit for a Sunday dinner but since most of the cooking time is unattended, it can be made on a weeknight with very little effort! Fitting nutritious, real food into a busy schedule sure is simple when you can find great recipes like this!

You can also check out some of my previous soul nourishing recipes on my Featured Blog Hop Recipe Page and if you missed earlier Blog Hops you can also check them out! Bon Appetit! This recipe was a part of the Hearth and Soul Hop-volume 28, Decidedly Healthy or Horribly Decadent, Fun with Food Friday, Friday Potluck, Foodie Friday, Friday Food, Anonymous 55 Linky and Saturday Swap.