I’ve tried several new recipes this week. I’m somewhat surprised to report that they were all really good.
My daughter and I are both working on musical productions (at two different high schools — she is on the backstage crew for hers and I am the accompanist for mine). We had rehearsals every night this week either after school or evenings, and this weekend we have two concerts plus an extra rehearsal. Next week I have 6 shows (I think!) and two choir rehearsals and she has tech week (also known as Hell week in the theater realm).
SO — I’ve been looking for meals that are quick to fix and either either bake (can be left in the oven for an hour or more) or cook quickly.
Chicken legs and thighs were on sale last week, so these are all chicken recipes.
Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken
First up is Moroccan Sheet Pan Chicken. The recipe is from The Wanderlust Kitchen website.
Ingredients
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 lemon
- 2 large sweet onions, cut into 12 wedges each
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 skin-on chicken quarters (I used 8 chicken bone-in skin-on chicken thighs)
- 1 cup green olives, pitted
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I forgot to add this!)
- Preheat an oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a small bowl, prepare the spice rub by combining the salt, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and the pressed garlic.
- Cut the lemon in half and set one half aside. Cut the remaining half into thin slices, then arrange the slices in a single layer on a rimmed half sheet pan. Scatter the onion wedges over the lemons, then drizzle 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the onions. Sprinkle the pan with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric. (I think you could get by with 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. It is SO expensive!)
- Place the chicken quarters on the pan, skin side up. Pat the top of the chicken dry, then brush the prepared spice mixture evenly onto the skin of each quarter. I rubbed the spices all over the chicken with my hands.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast for 45 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the juices run clear.
- Scatter the pan with the olives and cilantro leaves. Squeeze the juice from the remaining half lemon onto the chicken. (I baked the olives on the pan with the chicken. I did remember the lemon juice, but forgot the cilantro.)
We had brown and wild rice with this. I poured the sauce from the pan over my rice and it was delicious.
One Pan Greek Chicken
Next up is another sheet pan recipe, this one from Damn Delicious: One Pan Greek Chicken.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces baby red potatoes, halved (I had Idaho potatoes; I cut them into quarters. They were great.)
- 16 ounces green beans, trimmed (I used a 1 lb. bag of frozen green beans. It worked fine.)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional)
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano (or Italian seasoning)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine chicken, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and oregano; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Marinate for at least 20 minutes to 1 hour, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
- Place potatoes and green beans in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with chicken in a single layer.
- Place into oven and roast until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes.*
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
This recipe was quick and easy, baked beautifully and was absolutely delicious.
Pukka Yellow Curry
The next recipe was not quite so easy (my kitchen was a huge MESS by the time dinner was ready), but I think that might be just first-time-working-out-the-kinks issues. Pukka Yellow Curry is a Jamie Oliver recipe. The result was flavorful and very well spiced. It takes a pretty large pan to fit all the ingredients in.
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 2 yellow peppers
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- 1-2 fresh red chillies (I used a jalapeno)
- ½ a bunch of fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon runny honey
- 1 level teaspoon ground tumeric
- 2 teaspoons curry powder (I used Penzey’s Sweet Curry)
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- olive oil
- 1 (14.5 oz can) chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon tomato purée (I left this out.)
- 320 g basmati rice
- 1 lemon
- OPTIONAL:
- fat-free natural yoghurt , to serve
Peel the onions, garlic and ginger and de-seed the peppers. Put 1 onion, 1 pepper, the garlic and ginger into a food processor. Crumble in the stock cube and add the chilli (de-seed it first, if you prefer a milder curry), the cilantro stalks, honey and spices, then blitz to a paste.
Place a very large casserole pan on a medium-high heat and fry the chicken drumsticks (pull the skin off first, if you prefer) with a splash of oil for 10 minutes, or until golden, turning occasionally with tongs. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving the pan on the heat. Roughly chop the remaining onion and pepper and add to the pan to cook for a few minutes, then tip in the paste and let it cook down for around 5 minutes. Pour in 500ml of boiling water. Drain the chickpeas and add along with the tomato purée and a pinch of salt and pepper, then stir well. Return the chicken to the pan, pop the lid on, reduce the heat and simmer gently for around 45 minutes, or until the sauce darkens and thickens. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro leaves.
With 15 minutes to go, put 1 cup (320g) rice and 2 cups of boiling water into a pan with a pinch of salt and simmer with the lid on for 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Serve the curry in the middle of the table with a few dollops of yoghurt (if using) and a scattering of coriander leaves, with lemon wedges for squeezing over and the fluffy rice on the side.
One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
My last success recipe to share is from Little Spice Jar: One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce.
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup finely diced shallots (or red onions)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil