Three For One (Blog entry) Special

Here is a guest blog from my sister Claire, super-hero mom of two boys, attorney extraordinaire, and one of the best cooks I know!

As a mom with two hungry munchkins, a really hungry husband, and a busy work schedule, I have found that the roasting pan is my best ally.  I truly believe that the ability to prep dinner earlier and throw it in the oven later makes dinner possible in my house.  I find that the last thing any of us can handle at the end of the day is a fussy recipe competing for my ever fragmented attention, even if it just takes 20 minutes. I am much saner when I just some toss some items into a baggie, preheat the oven, and topple dinner into a pan.  I feel like my roasting pan turns me into the Platonic Form of 1950s housewife without the apron, (it is currently in use as a superhero cape by my 3 year old) and without the Valium. Plus, as a bonus, these recipes only require one pan to clean up!

Chicken In a Pan- Sassy Version

(based on a dish I found on the Mad Hungry Blog called “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner”)

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil or if you only have ¼ of a cup due to a sorely misguided attempt at making ‘healthy’ muffins, that is fine too.
• some minced garlic; however much you like and are willing to risk oozing from every pore tomorrow at hot yoga
• 2 tablespoons paprika: I like Hungarian paprika for this.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons salt which seems like a lot but works
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Boneless chicken breasts (however many come in a package at your grocery store) or a whole chicken cut up into pieces
• 1 big can of garbanzo beans drained
• 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes

Directions

1. Mix the marinade: olive oil, garlic, paprika, cumin, red pepper, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Using a zip-lock bag combine marinade with the chicken, beans, and tomatoes, this requires some massaging to make sure that the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade. Let marinate a few hours, all day, or overnight.
2. Go to bed. Get up three times to prove to preschooler that dinosaurs do not in fact live in their closet.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove toddler from oven door. Forcibly.
4. When ready to cook, dump contents into large roasting pan. Roast 20 minutes for chicken breasts or 30 minutes for whole chicken pieces,  or until chicken is cooked through and browned, and tomatoes have burst and caramelized. Feel smug.
5. Wipe brow and remove toddler from top of refrigerator. Let dog out. Let dog in.

Chicken in a Pan- Spanish(y) version

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps. olive oil
• package of chicken thighs and package of drumsticks
• package of andouille chicken sausage, cut into pieces
• 3 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 large spanish onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• grated zest 1 orange

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425.  Put the oil in the bottom of roasting pan. Rub the skin of the chicken in the oil, then turn skin-side up, salt and pepper the chicken. I think salt, pepper, and the roasting pan are the holy trinity of the kitchen.
2. Nestle the sweet potatoes among the chicken pieces. Tuck in the sausage pieces.  Sprinkle the onion and the oregano over, then grate the orange zest over everything. Don’t skip the orange zest, like passing the bar exam, it makes the whole adventure worthwhile.
3. Cook for 1 hour.

Chicken in Pan- London School of Economics version

(supply and demand- only supply one thing and don’t listen to demands)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large Spanish onion or 2 small onions or however many you have
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• Ground pepper
• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces
• 1 package of chicken and apple sausages
• 2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
• whatever random root vegetables you have lying around, peel and chop them. I like carrots, parsnips, potatoes, butternut squash in this dish. Be sure to feel virtuous because you not only cooked dinner but it also includes vegetables.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting pan, skin-side up, salt and pepper them.  
3. Tuck the sausages around the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the fresh sage leaves over the chicken and sausages and then put the roasting pan into the oven to cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the sausages over halfway through to colour them evenly.
4. Arrange the chicken and sausages on a large platter. Sigh contentedly. You managed to cook dinner 3 times this week, month, year! Hooray!