Lemon Roasted Chicken

Ina Garten's recipe for Lemon Chicken with Croutons was the inspiration for this recipe.  I used chicken breasts & thighs instead of a whole chicken and added carrots & peas otherwise it closely follows her technique.  It was great and will definitely be making it again soon.









Lemon Roasted Chicken


3  boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 large vidalia (or sweet) onion sliced
6 carrots sliced
2 lemons halved & quartered
salt & pepper
4 T Butter, sliced
olive oil for pan
1/2 white wine
1 C chic broth
1c frozen peas

**Loaf of fresh bread from bakery such as a boulé  ( I used a rosemary boule)


In large Dutch oven drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil, sear chicken seasoned with salt & pepper to get a bit of brown coating on chicken.  You may need to do this in batches or have 2 pans going.  When all chicken is seared add onion, carrots, lemons stir to combine. Deglaze pan with wine add broth then put butter over top cover and roast till chicken is cooked through, about an hour.

Remove from oven pull chicken apart with forks to shred it and let stand 10 minutes  ( this will soak up more juices) then stir in the peas just before serving.

**While chicken is cooking cut or tear bread into cubes/chunks.  In large sauté pan sauté bread in olive oil tossing to coat, when bread is crisp remove to large serving platter.  You want bread to be a bit crispy for serving, like a soft crouton.


To serve Scoop everything from pot onto layer of croutons, allow to sit a minute so that juices soak into bread.  Chicken should be tender enough it begins to fall apart, you can pull apart any large chunks.  When serving scoop to bottom of platter to get down to bread.  The drippings make the bread yummy, there won't be a lot of liquid but enough to absorb into the bread.

toasted Rosemary Bread

topped with some fresh parsley before serving

Lentil Soup

Storms are threatening---time for soup.  Soups have become meals for us this time of year and this is a hearty healthy option.  It is loaded with vegetables, high protein, fiber, so many vitamins and minerals it could probably supply a days worth of requirements.  It can stand alone or add a sandwich if you like.



Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

3 oz chopped pancetta
2 T olive oil
2 cans lentil
1 med onion diced
2 carrots diced
2 celery diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 T tomato paste
1 small can diced tomato, drained
4-6 c chicken broth
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
plain greek yogurt for topping

Directions:

In med soup pot saute pancetta in olive oil, add onion, carrot, celery, diced tomato, garlic.  When vegetables are translucent deglaze pan with broth then stir in all broth,  tomato paste, red pepper and lentils.  Let simmer for at least 30 min longer is fine.  I used hand blender to blend about 1/2 of the soup which gives it a thicker texture but leaves enough of the vegetables for texture.  This is strictly your preference if you like a thicker soup or not it will taste good either way.  Salt and pepper to taste, ladle into a bowl add a dollop of greek yogurt and a little grated cheese to serve.

**you could certainly add more vegetables also maybe other types of beans, mushrooms etc.

**Can also let this simmer in your crock pot if you are off for the day.