Roasted Chicken with Apples, Potatoes, & Leeks

This dinner is probably total comfort food to many people. For me, it was an outside my comfort zone meal. Some of you are familiar with my aversion to meat that still has its skin and bones and to mushrooms. (Shudder.) I don't like to be reminded meat comes from an animal, don't like anything greasy, and don't like the idea of eating fungus. But I was looking for a way to use a bunch of CAS veggies (including mushrooms), the thighs and drumsticks pack at the grocery store was on a big sale, and my friend Eric has been talking up the paleo diet.

Ingredients:

• 6 pieces of chicken - thighs and drumsticks
• 3 medium sized red potatoes, quartered into wedges then in half again
• 1 apple, cored and sliced in 1/8ths
• 1 leek - white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-4 pieces
• 1/2 large onion, cut into 1 in. pieces
• 2.5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4-5 crimini mushrooms, halved and sliced
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1/4-ish cup white wine or broth (vegetable or chicken)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. In a roasting pan or large stoneware pan, add potatoes, apple, leek, and onion. Toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1.5 tbsp rosemary, and half the salt and pepper. Sprinkle chicken pieces with remaining salt and pepper and arrange, skin side up, on top of the veggie mixture. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until chicken registers 180 degrees.

Just before going into the oven.

Meanwhile, heat remaining half tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for about a minute, or until it begins to turn golden brown. Add mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for a couple more minutes. Add half the wine and sprinkle with salt. Cook about 4 minutes and add remaining wine. Reduce for about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Just after removing from oven.

The mushrooms can be sprinkled on top of the roasted chicken and veggies and/or other side dishes at the table or stir into the roasted vegetables and apples if you really like mushrooms. You can drizzle everything with some of the chicken dish pan juices. I like options. (Eric, please ignore the piece of bread in the bottom lefthand corner of the photo below.)

Full meal, plated.

I served this with sautéed onions and red chard. That recipe will come later because I have an idea that could be either brilliant or disastrous for the leftovers of that dish. Stay tuned.

In this moment, I'm learning that pushing beyond my comfort zone brings incredible comfort when I've tried something I'm unsure of or accomplished something new. I wish you adventures that nourish body and sprit, too.