No tags yet.
Italian Chicken and Summer Squash
I love meals that I can toss in the oven and let cook while I unwind after a long day at work. This chicken recipe is super simple and cooks beautifully while I change my clothes, check Facebook or cue up another episode of a favorite show on Netflix.
One of my favorite techniques to cook chicken is to pile a bunch of vegetables into a baking dish and cook the chicken on top. The juices from the chicken will run down over the vegetables and add a ton of flavor. Turn it skin side down for the first half of the cooking time, and the skin won’t burn before the dish is done.
Bonus: you can even prep the baking dish ahead of time. Set it on the counter to take the chill off the dish while the oven preheats. You may need to add to cooking time to make sure everything is cooked through.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
6-8 pieces of chicken
2-4 zucchini and/or yellow squash, sliced into 1-inch pieces, about 1-2 cups
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bulb of fennel, sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning mix, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons melted cooking fat - coconut oil, bacon fat, or ghee
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Place the chopped vegetables in a large 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Toss the vegetables with the melted cooking fat, 1 teaspoon of the seasoning blend, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of the seasoning blend evenly over all the chicken pieces. This step can be done several hours in advance to enhance the flavor of the chicken.
Place the chicken on top of the vegetables skin side down. Roast for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces and stir the vegetables underneath.
Roast for another 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked to 165F and the skin is golden brown.
If the vegetables are not as done as you like, remove the chicken and continue to cook the vegetables for another few minutes until done to your liking.
