Roasted Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 head garlic, separated into whole cloves, papery skin removed (about 20 cloves)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning 

1 teaspoon flour

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 lemon, juiced

Bread, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Salt and pepper liberally and allow to temper on a cutting board while you prepare the garlic. In a large ovenproof saute pan over medium heat, cook the whole garlic cloves in olive oil and butter, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan and set aside. Increase the heat to medium high and brown the chicken skin-side down until the skin is golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over, sprinkle on herbes de Provence or poultry seasoning. Add the garlic back to the pan and place hot pan in oven. Bake the chicken until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove chicken thighs and garlic to a platter. Place the pan over medium-high heat and sprinkle the drippings with flour and stir to incorporate. Deglaze the pan with the stock and lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the chicken on the platter and serve with bread for sauce-mopping and garlic-spreading.

Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients: (4-6 servings)

• 1 pound chicken breast tenderloins
• Greek seasoning (I used the no-salt version)
• optional - Feiny's veggie rub seasoning 
• 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 4 tsp chopped garlic (about 4 large cloves)
• 2 Tbsp shallots, chopped
• 6 Tablespoons jarred sun dried tomato bruschetta (or sun dried tomatoes in oil)
• 1 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 4 oz package of crumbled feta cheese
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed
• 1 lb cooked penne noodles, al dente, drained and rinsed
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• additional sun dried tomatoes 
• sliced black olives to garnish

Make ahead time savers: 

You can make the garlic wine sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.  You can make, drain, and rinse the pasta ahead of time.  Then when you want to cook dinner, all you need to do is cook the chicken and throw it all together.

Also, get all of your veggies chopped before beginning.  I have a great helper for this type of thing!  Remember, there's always some aspect of a recipe that the kids can help with!  My spinach didn't necessarily NEED to be chopped, but it gave Lily a sense of being needed and involved.  And this is just as important as any of the rest of the things you do! 

Step-by-Step:

Garlic wine sauce - 

To a sauce pan, add olive oil,  half the garlic and half the shallots.  Saute them until golden brown, then add the white wine.  Allow it to come up to a boil, then reduce by half, stirring frequently.   The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator until you need it if you are making it ahead of time.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 Tablespoon chopped shallots

Allow them to saute until they start to become golden and soft.

Once the garlic and shallots are golden, add in the wine.  I keep some of these small individual bottles of wine just for cooking.  They are usually just the right amount for a recipe, and I don't have to worry about saving the leftovers.  They usually come in a 4-pack. 

1 cup of dry white wine (I'm using Pinot Grigio today)

In a measuring cup or bowl, stir together the cold chicken stock and corn starch to make a slurry.   The slurry will keep the corn starch from lumping up on you when you add it to the hot wine sauce.

2 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp corn starch

Add the slurry to the reduced wine sauce.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium simmer for about 10 minutes until it has thickened up a bit.  Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.  

chicken stock + corn starch slurry

kosher salt

black pepper

Strain the sauce and discard the garlic and shallots to complete the sauce.

I ended up with a little over 1 1/2 cups of sauce after the reduction, etc.  If you are making the sauce ahead of time, you can cover and refrigerate it now.

Be a Meal Planning Guru - DAY 3 - Proteins

High protein foods include meat, fish, cheese, tofu, beans, lentils, yogurt, nuts, and seeds. Below is a more detailed list of items that fall within the meat category: Check out these links for a much more comprehensive list of proteins, including beans,  here and here.

• TURKEY
• CHICKEN
• FISH
• LEAN BEEF
• VEAL
• BISON
• PIG
• LAMB
• CORNISH HEN
• DUCK

Wednesday's MEAL PLANNING GURU HOMEWORK: Today identify the proteins that you will pack your plan with to make your meals filling and most satisfying to your family! When compiling this list, think BROAD. For example, I would list beef and not meatballs. As with Monday and Tuesday, ask your family for their input. Put an asterisk next to any family favorites and take suggestions. Maybe there is a great protein out there that your family has never tried. Be optimistic and add it to the list!

1.