Roasted Chicken Breasts With Vegetables And Herbs

Anyone who has followed me around in my kitchen knows I rarely use recipes when I cook. So when a friend asked me to share my recipe for this dish I had to laugh. There are no measurements in this dish…but I’ll share the ingredients and my method for making my Roasted Chicken Breasts With Vegetables and Herbs. But before I do…here is a little background on the types of simple meals I love to create…especially when we have house guests.

Recently, three of Peepaw’s siblings found a way to make their  paths cross at our home…and considering they came from Oregon, Michigan and North Carolina that was a pretty big deal. So instead of creating elaborate meals, I kept things simple so they could spend their time visiting, and I could spend less time cooking.

So for breakfast?

I simply reached in the refrigerator and pulled out what I had on hand to make this Everything But The Kitchen Sink Frittata. (I’ll share that “recipe” another time…I promise.)

And for our late-evening meal I kept it simple by creating a Charcuterie board to serve with drinks. Again…simplicity. (And Peepaw made popcorn since that was a Sunday night tradition when they were growing up so many years ago.)

But for what is known in the Midwest as “Sunday Dinner” in the early afternoon I served a simple salad and some garlic cheese bread with this one dish meal I served “family style”…

We bought bone-in chicken breasts since they are much more flavorful and tender than boneless breasts. I rubbed them with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil I had infused with garlic. (To make this mixture simply pour some EVOO in a pan and add some finely minced garlic. Simmer it on VERY low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the garlic softens. Do NOT boil the oil or the garlic will burn and become inedible!)

Next I sprinkled on my own Meemaw’s Magic Dry Rub special seasoning blend. (Try it…you’ll love it!)

Next, I looked in the refrigerator to see what veggies I had on hand, and I pulled out some carrots, colored mini peppers, and some cherry tomatoes…and I grabbed some onions from the colander I keep on my kitchen counter.

I chopped the larger veggies into big pieces. (If you cut the vegetables too small they will basically “melt” and disintegrate in the oven before the chicken is cooked through.)

I stepped outside to my herb bed and I snipped some fresh parsley, thyme and basil to add to the mixture…and I saved some to top the finished dish.

I mixed all the veggies and chopped herbs with some of the infused garlic oil and I dumped the whole mess onto a rimmed baking sheet…and I arranged the chicken breasts on top of the bed of vegetables. 

Next I loosely covered the sheet pan with some tin foil and I placed in a preheated 400 degree oven. I checked the tray after thirty minutes and removed the foil. I continued to roast until the internal temp of the thick part of the chicken breasts registered 155 and I removed from the oven. (It took a little more than an hour to cook the dish since the chicken breasts were huge.) 

I re-covered the pan for several minutes to allow the chicken to “rest” and reabsorb the juices. By re-covering the tray with foil for a few minutes, the chicken continued to cook to the desired 165 degree temperature for poultry.

Finally I cut the large chicken pieces in half, and I arranged all of the roasted veggies and chicken on a pretty serving platter. I scattered a generous handful of fresh herbs over the dish to add color and another layer of flavor, and I placed the platter in the center of the table so everyone could serve themselves. 

It was a wonderful day filled with family, food and fun…

And that’s what this Meemaw Eats blog is all about!