Dabbling in the Kitchen: Roasted Chicken & Veggies

I've been making a lot of roasted vegetables lately. I really love them. I have no idea why it took me so long to realize that...

Tonight - I decided to roast potatoes, mushrooms and broccoli along with some chicken breasts. It's easy enough to roast them all at once and Chicken is pretty tasty with pretty much any vegetable.

Here's how I do it:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Take out a large lipped baking sheet.
Drizzle on some oil
Slice up potatoes into bite-sized pieces
Place potatoes & chicken on baking sheet
Season to taste - I used fresh ground black pepper, sea salt, garlic powder (on just the chicken) and oregano. You can use anything - I was just in the mood for these spices tonight.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes
Meanwhile, steam the broccoli.
After 10 minutes, take out the potatoes & chicken. Add sliced mushrooms (I used button mushrooms, but baby portabellas are especially delicious) & the broccoli.
Return to oven for 8 minutes.
Take out and sprinkle cheese on top of the chicken (I used Parmesan & Asagio mix).
**If you don't want cheese on top - leave everything in for 10 minutes instead of 8.

It came out perfect. The chicken was still moist and the potatoes were the perfect texture - not too mushy but not crunchy. Same for the mushrooms and broccoli. YUM. I could've also added a salad - but everything was so delicious and filling that a salad wasn't needed. In fact, I think with a salad there would've been too much!

One of the things I like a lot about doing a meal like this is - it's super easy to make just the right amount, as well as make sure you're getting the right ratio of meat to veggies. I've always heard 3/4 of your plate should be vegetables and a 1/4 should be meat - which I think was fairly easy to do with this recipe. Also, had there been leftovers, everything reheats fairly quickly and without losing much flavor - always a plus when you're warming up unch the next day.

Hope you enjoy the recipe - and have a chance to vary the veggies and try it with other kinds of protein. It should be easy enough to roast fish, beef or pork along with the veggies as well - just adjust the time it's in the oven for thickness and the type of protein you're cooking. Steaks take a few minutes more than chicken and fish takes a few minutes less.

Happy eating!