Roast chicken, mixed greens, and fennel salad
I've been known to go to extremes (for me) to find ideas for recipes. I actually watched the Martha Stewart cooking show, but only because my very favorite female vocalist of all time was the guest cook in Martha's kitchen.
I didn't end up using Aretha Franklin's recipe, but she has her own wonderful way of telling you it‘s quick and easy to cook, "This is for women (and men) who have to work, and who are busy, and who just really don't have time, but just want to get down." Probably the biggest barrier to cooking at home is the perceived or real lack of time.
Home-cooked food is tastier, cheaper and healthier than most prepared foods. A family of four could probably save a couple of thousand dollars a year by cooking at home a few more nights per week rather than buying prepared foods or eating out.
Maybe you can try this.
Roast enough chicken breasts for three meals. Freeze enough for two meals and eat one.
Make enough dressing for three or four salads. Buy mixed lettuce greens at your farmers' market. At four dollars per pound, it's cheaper and better than what you can find at a grocery store and a pound of lettuce leaves is enough for many salads.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on (about 3/4 pound each)
- Mixed salad greens for four
- 1 small fennel bulb, halved, cored, then thinly sliced
- Dressing
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons canola oil (I've been using half canola oil lately in dressings to make them a little lighter)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. Rub them with a little olive oil. Salt and pepper them.
- Roast them for about 35 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees.
- While they are cooking, mix the first 8 ingredients of the dressing in a jar. Let stand for about five minutes, and then add the olive and canola oils. Shake until blended. Taste by dipping a leaf of lettuce.
- Using only just enough of the dressing to make however much lettuce you used glisten, toss the dressing with the lettuce and sliced fennel. Distribute it on serving plates.
- Remove the bones and skin from the chicken breasts. Cut the chicken breasts into thick slices and arrange them artistically on the greens.
Serve and enjoy knowing that maybe you froze some chicken for another busy night, you already have the dressing made and that mixed lettuce greens are always waiting for you at the farmers' market near you.