Sunday Funday: Chicky Dinner

Today, you may be a little exhausted from a weekend full of fireworks, food and fun.  I know I enjoyed all 3, maybe a little too much. But I ended the weekend with a delicious and healthful meal on Sunday with these 2 chickies and with the rest of my family, giving a whole definition to Sunday Funday.

Sunday dinners never really were a tradition in my family. We usually had Sunday brunch after everyone got up and got going, usually around the 11 a.m. time. But I love the idea of having Sunday dinner and want to start this tradition in my life.  Having dinner with your family has a ton of benefits!  According to the Family Meal Project, the magic of family meals provide the following benefits:

• Better academic performance
• Higher self-esteem
• Greater sense of resilience
• Lower risk of substance abuse
• Lower risk of teen pregnancy
• Lower risk of depression
• Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
• Lower rates of obesity

If you are interested in reading more about the benefits of family dinner, check out their Family Dinner References page.  Dinner does not need to be fancy or traditional. It could be anything from sandwiches and soup to tacos. I ended up going an easy direction with one-pot cooking and decided on a roasted chicken and vegetables. 

 

The preparation was so easy!  I placed my whole chicken in the bottom of the baker and drizzled olive oil over the top, rubbing it in. I placed 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary and 3 sprigs of fresh time into the cavity of the bird.  Feel free to use dried herbs, but if you have some fresh in the garden, these flavor your chicken and veggies wonderfully.  I sprinkled the bird with fresh ground pepper and kosher salt. I surrounded the bird with various vegetables and then covered the baker. The ceramic handles a high temperature, so the oven was pre-heated to 425 degrees and the chicken cooked for 1 ½ hours. For the last 10 minutes, I took the lid off and spooned some of the juices on the bottom of the baker on top of the chicken for additional browning.

I chose celery, tomatoes, carrots, onions and potatoes. I always go with the Yukon Gold potatoes because they have a creamy and buttery flavor, so you don't have to add a bunch of toppings to make them taste good. Use any vegetables you have in the house, next time I am going to be adventurous and try fennel and Brussels sprouts.

The vegetables turn out perfectly, tender but not mushy. And the color stays beautiful! (Remember you eat with your eyes too!)

You just can't beat a healthful meal like this to end a holiday weekend. Another weekend is soon approaching, what will you be making for Sunday Funday?

Sunday Funday Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Ingredients

1 – 4 lb. whole chicken

6 Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut in half
6 carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks
3 celery stalks, sliced into sticks
2 medium tomatoes, cut into fourths and deseeded
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place chicken in the baker, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and salt

3.       Place 3 sprigs of rosemary and thyme in the cavity of the chicken.

4.       Place vegetables around the chicken and put the last sprigs of rosemary and thyme on top of the chicken.

5.       Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, removing the lid of the baker the last 10 minutes. Spoon juices from the bottom of the baker on top of the chicken for continued browning.

6.       Removed vegetables and place in a bowl to serve.

7.       Cut chicken and place on platter to serve.

8.       The remaining juices can be used for gravy or a stock.

  ~Crazy