Saturday, October 12, 2013

How easy is that? It's so easy that ...

 

You can make it in someone else's kitchen! Foolproof.

That's what we like.


Say hello to garlic and lemon chicken with vegetables from Victoria Abbott




MJ's on holiday, visiting her brother and enjoying the beautiful scenery and charming communities of Nova Scotia.  Following eight days of eating in restaurants and other peoples' homes during the trip, she finally offered to make dinner. 







But what to make in an unfamiliar kitchen? She figured she couldn't go wrong with this recipe.  All that's really essential is a chicken, two lemons, olive oil  and garlic. You can switch up the veggies depending on what you have. Ten minutes and it's ready for the oven. Truth in advertising: the DH prepared the vegetables.





Sometimes the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. This is one of those recipes!   If she ever writes that chicken mystery, this will be included for sure.  As you know lemons make magic and the lemon garlic marinade is the key. As mentioned, you could vary the vegetables and use other herbs if you want.  We certainly switched it up every time we made it and look forward to trying it with sweet potatoes and zucchini at home. 


INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound trimmed green beans
1 red pepper (diced) – this is optional
8 small red potatoes quartered (or 5 medium cut in six pieces each)
4 chicken breasts or 1 chicken cut in pieces (about 3 pounds)
Thyme sprigs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. On our experiment on the road, I had to use two medium baking dishes. 


Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

 










In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper;   












Add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Do the same with the red pepper (if using). Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. 





Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken. Arrange thyme springs if that suits you.

 








  
 

Roast for 50 minutes until potatoes are cooked 
and chicken is browned. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender and browned. 









Divide chicken among four plates; divide the green beans, red peppers and potatoes equally. Serve warm.













MJ is having a very tasty trip with lovely meals and is promising to share recipes in the months to follow.


Thanks for coming by!  Here's a little bit more about Victoria Abbott, current queen of all things chicken

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Victoria Abbott is a collaboration between Victoria Maffini and her mother,  Mary Jane Maffini (who insists all of this IS on her diet).. The Christie Curse, their first book collector mystery, launched in March 2013 and  The Sayers Swindle, the second in the series will be out in December 2013. Please let them know how you like it.




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8 comments:

  1. Wonderful MJ! Sometimes you crave something homemade on a great trip and this hits the mark. Xo

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  2. Thanks, Roberta! It made a good diversion from restaurant food - although we loved all that too.

    XO

    MJ

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  3. That's a gorgeous picture of the bay, MJ. Nova Scotia is so pretty, especially at this time of year. I hope you're enjoying your visit with family, and I'm sure everyone enjoyed that lemon chicken! It looks amazing--and foolproof recipes are always keepers in our house! Thanks for sharing it, and have a great weekend...

    ~ Cleo

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cleo! We are loving it. The little brother has asked for the recipe. I have directed him to the blog.

      Hugs,

      MJ

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  4. What fun to have an out of town go-to meal! Love it. Enjoy the family.

    Hugs,

    Daryl / Avery

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are enjoying it all and picking up ideas for future posts - lots of great food here.

      XO

      MJ

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  5. It's always difficult to cook in someone else's kitchen. What a lovely dish you made! I bet your hosts loved it. With all that garlic, it had to be good!

    ~Krista

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    Replies
    1. It has also kept the vampires at bay!

      Thanks, Krista!

      Hugs,

      MJ

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