Rosemary Roasted Chicken & Winter Vegetables

This is pure comfort food. It warms you thoroughly on a cold winter's night and makes enough to feed at least 6 hungry people.

The chicken is juicy and perfectly seasoned. The roasted vegetables are buttery and tender and compliment the chicken nicely. The sweet potatoes add a delicious touch of sweetness and the rosemary's fragrance perfumes the whole dish. This is a satisfying meal that will be enjoyed often.

This easy meal is inspired by our EASY JUICY ROAST CHICKEN recipe also on this blog.



One Dish Roast Chicken & Vegetables:

Serves 6

4 large organic chicken breasts, brined and cut into large chunks
2 T. deodorized coconut oil for oiling the baking pan
1 onion, cubed
10 to 12 organic carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 large organic russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
1 to 2 large organic sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into chunks
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and mashed with 1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 cup melted organic butter or ghee
1 t. seasoned salt
1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 t. onion powder
1 t, dried rosemary, crumbled
Sweet paprika, to sprinkle on top as a garnish


Method:

Thaw and brine skinless, boneless chicken breasts in water that has 2 T. sea salt dissolved into it. Let the meat soak completely covered in the brine 30 to 45 minutes. Rinse and cut meat into about 2-inch x 2-inch chunks. Set aside.

Oil an extra large casserole dish with deodorized coconut oil (otherwise you will taste coconut).

Wash and prepare the raw vegetables and place in the oiled baking dish.

Place the raw chunks of chicken on top of the raw vegetables. Sprinkle the meat with the seasoned salt and onion powder. toss the meat to coat with the seasonings evenly.

Sprinkle pepper and rosemary over everything in the baking dish.

Mash the garlic with the salt.

Melt the butter, then add the mashed garlic. Pour the garlic butter over top and toss everything together well to evenly coat.

Sprinkle with paprika and dot with more butter, if desired.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F, for 60 minutes.

Uncover, toss, and bake an additional 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Serve hot with a fresh green salad and fruit on the side. Have seasoned salt at the table too.


Note: For a dairy-free version, replace the butter with a total of 1/4 c. deodorized coconut oil.

Enjoy, 

Leila.

Leila's Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup - Easy and Delicious!

Leila's Easy Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup

I created this soup after I made a bunch of chicken stock from a couple of Costco rotisserie chickens. I wanted a Mexican-style soup that was loaded with healthy vegetables, had a hit of smoky flavor and was not creamy.

This soup turned out super! our family loves it and we have really enjoyed the leftovers. It is warming for these cool fall evenings we are having.

I really like the zucchini in this soup. I used a huge tough zucchini from our garden for this soup. I peeled it and then removed all the seeds. I then chopped it into small cubes. The older zucchini stay nicely firm in simmered soups. If you have tender zucchini, add it towards the end of cooking time, so that you don't turn it into mush.


Leila's Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe:

1/2 pound bacon
1 extra-large onion, minced
6 large cloves garlic, smashed
2 stalks celery with tops, minced
3 large mild chiles, fire roasted and then cored, seeded and minced
4 tomatillos, minced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles
1 7-ounce can La Victoria Fire Roasted diced green chiles (this brand has the best roasted flavor)
3 quarts chicken stock (home made is best)
1 bay leaf
1 t. ground cumin
2 14.8-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 29-ounce can Mexican-style hominy, drained
2 zucchini, cubed
1 T. sea salt, to taste
35 grinds fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 to 4 cups shredded cooked chicken meat
Smokey paprika, optional, to taste


Method:

Over a gas flame, char the whole chiles, then remove stem and seeds and mince. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and crumble, then set aside.

With the bacon fat left in the pot, saute on medium-high heat, the onion, garlic, celery, chilies, and tomatillos, until the onion becomes transparent.

Add the canned tomatoes and canned green chiles. then add the chicken stock.

Add the bay leaf, cumin, canned beans, hominy, and diced zucchini. Bring up to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and let it simmer about 30 minutes.

Season the soup with the salt and pepper, to taste. Add the crumbled bacon and shredded cooked chicken meat. let simmer a few more minutes before serving. Check the seasoning.

Garnish the soup with sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, corn chips, as desired.


Notes:

Use gluten-free corn chips if desired.

If avoiding corn, omit the hominy and corn chips.

If dairy-free, omit the cheese and sour cream garnishes.

For a vegan option, omit bacon and saute the vegetables in deodorized coconut oil. Add smokey paprika to give a nice smoky flavor. Use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock. add an extra can of beans in place of the shredded chicken.

In place of the canned petite diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles, use regular diced Mexican or plain diced tomatoes. Add these additional seasonings: 1/4 t. Mexican oregano, 1/4 t. dried chipotle powder, 1/4 t. additional cumin, to taste.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Speedy Thai Turkey Snacks - Low Carb, Gluten-Free

Thai Turkey Snacks

Try this quick tasty snack next time the munchies hit - You will be doing yourself a favor with this high-protein, low-carb treat.

This is a very tasty and very quick use for canned turkey or chicken. Our low-carb, sweet Fiji Hot Sauce is the perfect accompaniment to this mayonnaise based meat mixture. Topping with fresh basil leaves adds a little cheer and flavor dimension. Use Thai basil if you have it!

I like this as a quick lunch, served along side some fresh sliced fruit. I love that it's so low-carb when used to top cucumber slices. I do love the taste of sesame rice crackers though...

If you are short on ingredients, you can omit the Fiji Sauce and basil, but that kinda takes all the fun out of it. Don't get me wrong, it's still good though.

Try this for a lunch at work, or take on a picnic and serve with a salad and fruit. Serve this to your kids as an afternoon snack. When you get the munchies before bed, eat this in a romaine lettuce leaf, or on top of cucumbers, and you will have avoided the tempting high-carb snacks most people reach for. It's SO easy to make, it's hard not to try this recipe :)



Thai Turkey Snacks:

1 can turkey or chicken meat
1/4 c. mayonnaise, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
seasoned salt, to taste
cucumber slices or artisan GF sesame seed rice crackers
Fiji Sauce (Thai chili sauce) See recipe on this blog
fresh basil leaves


Method:

Drain the juice from the canned turkey or chicken and place the meat in a small bowl.

Add a dollop of your favorite mayonnaise, to taste. Mix together well.

Season the meat mixture with ground black pepper and seasoned salt to taste.

Portion the meat mixture on top of the cucumber slices or crackers.

Drizzle the tops with Fiji Sauce and place a basil leaf on top.

Serve immediately.

A good cracker to serve with the meat filling.

Doesn't that FIJI SAUCE look good?

Enjoy,

Leila

Favorite Rosemary Lemon Chicken - Italian Restaurant Copy-Cat

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

Flavor-packed Rosemary Lemon Chicken that is better than any restaurant! 

This recipe is now one of our family favorites. It is so juicy and bright tasting. It's also easy!

My daughter Naomi is a foodie too. She was inspired last month to make this dish. She felt like creating a zippy skillet chicken featuring rosemary and lemon. I offered her the ideas of adding fresh garlic, brining the meat beforehand for more rosemary flavor, and making a tasty glaze at the end. I let Naomi take the lead on this one, which was fun. I brined the meat. she cooked and seasoned it, then I made the final glaze, with her watching me so I could teach her how to do it. She seasoned it perfectly (proud mom smiling). I have told all of my children that a secret to being a great cook is just knowing what good food tastes like! It's kinda like knowing your destination before you get there, so then you will know when you have arrived.

Glazed Rosemary Lemon Chicken

We made this dish again together last night. Naomi says we have to put this on our blog, and I definitely agree. So now I'm sharing our recipe with you!

I highly recommend brining your chicken, so plan ahead a bit. Fresh rosemary is wonderful here, although dried will work OK. If you must use dried rosemary, boil your 1 cup of water and pour it over the rosemary, cover and steep like you would when making an herbal tea. This will infuse your chicken with a stronger rosemary flavor more quickly. This dish is supposed to have a big hit of rosemary. YUM.



Rosemary Lemon Chicken Recipe:

Serves: 6

BRINE:
1 c. hot water
2 T. sea salt
1 t. Lakanto sweetener (erythritol + monk fruit)
1 clove garlic, smashed into a paste with some of the sea salt
20 grinds black pepper
1 t. fresh rosemary leaves, smashed with some of the sea salt
cold water, to cover the chicken

CHICKEN:
6 skinless boneless organic chicken breasts, thawed
2 T. organic butter or ghee
2 T. deodorized coconut oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 t. lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 t. dried basil

GLAZE:
1/2 c. water
1 t. organic chicken base
1 t. tapioca starch
1 T. butter, optional

GARNISH:
Rosemary sprigs
Thin sliced lemon


Method:

BRINE:

Dissolve the sea salt and Lakanto sweetener into the cup of hot water. Add the garlic, rosemary, and black pepper. Stir together and let steep together a few minutes while you prep the chicken meat.

Thaw the chicken meat and trim off any excess fat. Place in a large shallow bowl.

Pour the salt water mixture over the chicken. Add enough cold water to completely immerse the meat. Let the chicken marinate in the brine for 2 hours. May also marinate in a large (1-gallon) zip-lock bag.

CHICKEN:

When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove chicken from the brine and let drain. Heat the butter and coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 4 cloves of smashed garlic and place the chicken in the pan. Lower the heat to medium.

Squeeze half of the lemon juice over top and sprinkle with half of the rosemary, which has been stripped off it's stem. Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon pepper and basil.

Cook uncovered until the chicken starts to look golden brown underneath.

Flip the chicken over and sprinkle with the remaining rosemary leaves. cook until golden brown on the other side. Check meat to make sure it is cooked through (you should see no pink in the center).

Remove the meat to a serving platter and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan.

GLAZE:

For the glaze, mix the chicken base and tapioca starch into the 1/2 cup water.

Heat the frying pan with the drippings to medium-high. Pour the starch mixture into the pan and whisk until thickened and bubbly. Add additional butter, if desired.

Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice over top the glaze and whisk in. taste for seasoning.

Pour glaze over the hot chicken and serve immediately.

Garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary leaves and lemon slices if desired.


NOTES:

If your frying pan is too small, your meat wont brown because too much moisture accumulates. If this happens, just cook the meat on both sides until completely cooked through. Transfer 3 breasts at a time to a new fry pan of sizzling butter and quickly brown on both sides. Repeat with the last 3 breasts. Scrape the leftover butter into the pan with the rosemary drippings and continue on with making the glaze.

You may add the zest from the half lemon, if desired (use an organic lemon for this).

The brined chicken stays very moist and does not need additional salt added. It is forgiving if you accidentally over-cook it. Make sure that you have added enough fresh lemon juice at the end. The flavor should be robust with rosemary, yet bright from the citrus, and not too tart.

Photos of the process:

ENJOY!

Leila 

Kettle Turkey Pot Roast - Copy Cat Chuck-A-Rama Recipe

Kettle Turkey Pot Roast

Imagine tender chunks of savory turkey that fool you into thinking you are eating slow simmered roast beef! 

I LOVE this recipe. My family loves this recipe. I think you will love it too.

Chuck-A-Rama does a great job of making their kettle turkey pot roast. Have you had it? It's by the roast beef, you must try it. It tastes like very tender roast beef with yummy carrots and potatoes, swimming in a tasty broth.

I have also had another version of this at a restaurant I can't remember the name of, that was equally delicious. This version version had a delicious thicker gravy and a ton of black pepper - zowie! A bit much for tender mouths. Chuck-A-Rama's Kettle Turkey has a much thinner brothy sauce that is delicious, but makes a lousy gravy, since it just runs off everything.

I decided it was time for me to recreate a version at home that is the best of both worlds. I wanted a thicker gravy-like sauce that wasn't quite so peppery. I wanted the big chunks of tender fall-apart meat. I wanted it to taste beefy, not like turkey. And I wanted lots of carrot and potato chunks too.

I'm thrilled with the results and my family loves it. I created this recipe around 2008,and I have made it when ever I see turkey thighs being sold at my local market. It's great that you do not have to thaw the meat first. This recipe is very forgiving, as you will see with the 2 variations I have listed below the recipe.




Crock Pot Turkey Pot Roast:

1 large onion, diced into cubes
2-3 turkey thighs (about 3 to 4 lbs, frozen)
1 t. seasoned salt, to taste
60 grinds fresh black pepper
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 envelope dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1-2 t. organic beef base
1/4 c. sherry cooking wine, optional
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. Herbs de Province
1 bay leaf, optional
2 3/4 c. water
1 3-ounce package brown gravy mix (or mushroom)
12 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
6 to 8 potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into big chunks
4 to 6 ribs celery, cut into big chunks, optional


Method:

Place the cubed onion in the bottom of a large oval shaped crock pot.

Season the frozen or thawed turkey thighs with seasoned salt and pepper. Place in the crock pot on top of the onions.

Add to the crock pot the garlic, onion soup mix, beef base, sherry, Worcestershire, Herbs de Province, bay leaf, and water.

Cover and cook 3 or more hours (until the meat is fall-of-the-bones tender).

Lift meat out of the crock pot and remove skin and bones, leaving big chunks of meat. Set aside.

To the crock pot add the package of brown gravy mix. Stir to combine with the hot liquid remaining in the crock pot.

Add all of the chunked carrots, potatoes, and celery to the crock pot. Toss to coat with the sauce.

Return the boned turkey to the crock pot. Lay the meat on top and gently spoon some of the sauce over top.

Place lid on crock pot and cook another hour or so, until the vegetables are tender.

Add more water as desired. Check for salt before serving.


Alternate Methods:

Alternate Method # 1 (Use this if you want to cook the meat ahead of time, my favorite method):

Right before you go to bed: Place the diced onions in the bottom of the crock pot. Lay the frozen turkey thighs on top. Season the meat with the salt and pepper. Pour in about 1 cup of water and put on the lid. Cook on low while you sleep. In the morning, remove the meat and remove the skin and bones and set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredient listed together, tossing the vegetables well to coat. Lay the big chunks of turkey on top. Spoon sauce over the meat. Cover and cook on lowest setting until the vegetables are tender. Add water as desired. Taste for salt before serving.

Alternate Method # 2 (use this method is you are going to be gone all day):

Dump all of the sauce ingredients and into the crock pot, starting with the water, onion soup mix, brown gravy mix, beef base, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, Herbs de Province, bay leaf, onions, and garlic. Stir well. Season the frozen or thawed turkey thighs with the seasoned salt and pepper and nestle into the sauce, spooning sauce over top. Lay all the vegetable chunks on top. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender. Remove the meat and skin and de-bone. Place back into the crock pot and gently stir before serving.

Moki is hoping for a turkey treat! Please mom???

Moki has been such a good patient boy...

Enjoy, 

Leila