Chicken With Roasted Sweet Potato Salad Real Simple Magazine Food

SHEET-PAN CHICKEN WITH SWEET POTATOES AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a small, shallow bowl, mix together vinegar and honey. Mix in half the red onion and a pinch of salt and set aside for garnish, tossing the mixture occasionally as the chicken cooks.
• In a large bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon salt, garlic, coriander and black pepper. Add chicken to bowl and rub the mixture all over it. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together 2 tablespoons oil, sweet potato, pepper, remaining onion, sage, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, paprika, cayenne and allspice. Spread vegetables out on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to marinated chicken and turn to coat. Place chicken pieces, skin-side up, among the vegetables, making sure chicken is surrounded by them, but not on top of them. (Chicken should rest directly on the baking sheet.)
• Roast for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and raise heat to 450 degrees. Use a wide spatula to flip vegetables over (but not chicken). Drizzle chicken (but not vegetables) with 2 teaspoons liquid from the onion-vinegar mixture. Roast until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes longer.
• To serve, top chicken and vegetables with a spoonful of onion-vinegar mixture and plenty of cilantro leaves.

THE BEST ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Mix butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.
• Loosen skin on chicken breast; rub butter mixture between skin and breast meat. Press on the skin to distribute evenly. Rub oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper all over; place lemon halves inside cavity. Set in a baking pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven, basting after 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Let rest before carving, about 15 minutes.

CHICKEN MILANESE WITH SWEET POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender and browned, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the honey mustard, vinegar and remaining 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large bowl. Add the sweet potatoes, parsley, red onion, pecans and cranberries and toss. Set aside.
• Put the eggs and panko in separate shallow bowls or dishes. Season each with salt and pepper. Butterfly the chicken: With your knife parallel to the cutting board, slice each chicken breast almost all the way in half and open it flat, like a book. Dip the chicken in the eggs, letting the excess drip off. Then dip them in the panko until well coated.
• Add enough vegetable oil to a large skillet to come halfway up the side of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350˚ F. Working in 2 batches, fry the chicken, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
• Divide the chicken and sweet potato salad among plates. Serve with honey mustard.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Let chicken and 1 tablespoon butter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove and discard the plastic pop-up timer from chicken if there is one. Remove the giblets and excess fat from the chicken cavity. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold running water. Dry chicken thoroughly with paper towels. Tuck the wing tips under the body. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• In the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan, place onion slices in two rows, touching. Place the palm of your hand on top of lemon and, pressing down, roll lemon back and forth several times. This softens the lemon and allows the juice to flow more freely. Pierce entire surface of lemon with a fork. Using the side of a large knife, gently press on garlic cloves to open slightly. Insert garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and lemon into cavity. Place chicken in pan, on onion slices. Cut about 18 inches of kitchen twine, bring chicken legs forward, cross them, and tie together.
• Spread the softened butter over entire surface of chicken, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place in the oven, and roast until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and the juices run clear when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. When chicken seems done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the breast, then the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
• Remove chicken from oven, and transfer to a cutting board with a well. Let chicken stand 10 to 15 minutes so the juices settle. Meanwhile, pour the pan drippings into a shallow bowl or fat separator, and leave onions in the pan. Leave any brown baked-on bits in the bottom of the roasting pan, and remove and discard any blackened bits. Using a large spoon or fat separator, skim off and discard as much fat as possible. Pour the remaining drippings and the juices that have collected under the resting chicken back into the roasting pan. Place on the stove over medium-high heat to cook, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, stir up and combine the brown bits with the stock until the liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Strain the gravy into a small bowl, pressing on onions to extract any liquid. Discard onions, and stir in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter until melted and incorporated. Untie the legs, and remove and discard garlic, thyme, and lemon. Carve, and serve gravy on the side.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH SWEET POTATO GREMOLATA SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Grate the zest and squeeze the juice from the lemon into 2 bowls, then push the wedges inside the cavity of the chicken with the parsley stalks. Put the chicken in a roasting tin and roast for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, scrub the sweet potatoes (no need to peel) and cut into chunks. Put in another roasting tin with the onions, fennel, and 6 whole garlic cloves, then toss with the oil. When the chicken has had its 30 mins, put the potatoes in the oven and roast for 30-40 mins more.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining garlic clove for the gremolata, then mix with the lemon zest and parsley. Mix the lemon juice, oil and some black pepper in a bowl.
• Remove the chicken and potatoes from the oven. Cover the chicken and leave to rest. Stir half the gremolata mix into the lemon juice and oil. Stir the spinach through the potato mix and return to the oven for 2 mins to wilt. Tip into the lemon dressing and toss well. Carve a chunk of breast meat from the chicken (you need about 140g), remove the skin, then cut into pieces. Toss into the salad with the pomegranate seeds, then serve scattered with the remaining gremolata.