Friday, March 18, 2011

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

My friends, Craig and Brandon, and I were recently discussing the difference between dinner and supper. Honestly, none of us knew the difference. So we did the only logical thing: We Googled it.

According to our friends at Merriam-Webster, dinner is "the principal meal of the day." Supper, on the other hand, is "the evening meal especially when dinner is taken at midday." I hope I've enlightened you.

This weekend, the husband and I had some friends over for a hearty Sunday Supper. The company was glorious. And the food? Also glorious.

Roast Chicken and Vegetables
Serves: 6

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
1.5 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 large onion, peeled and cut into wedges
8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, divided
Salt and pepper
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
5 tablespoons softened butter, divided

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss together squash, Brussels sprouts, carrots, onion, garlic, olive oil, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread on a very large rimmed baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine 3 tablespoons butter with the remaining 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning. Use your fingers to gently separate the skin from the chicken breasts, creating a pocket between the skin and the meat. Evenly divide the seasoned butter between the chicken breasts, rubbing it underneath the skin. Rub the remaining 2 tablespoons of plain butter on top of the skin. Season with salt and pepper.

After the vegetables have roasted for the initial 15 minutes, place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables. Return to the oven and roast an additional 35 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees. Transfer everything to a serving platter, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

7 comments:

  1. I haven't thought to do butternut with my roasted chicken, and it's a veggie I absolutely adore. Thanks for this tip and inspiration. YAY!

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  2. Your chicken looks wonderful, and so did the veggies. We roasted a chicken and put in sweet
    potatoes, besides the carrots. Love the beta carotene!

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  3. Good enough I want this for dinner AND supper!

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  4. I always thought that supper was the food you eat around 4ish :) I don't know why I thought that...it just sounded right. Thank you for letting me know that I was not right. :)

    Your sunday supper sounds yummylicious! I love roasted chicken! This meal just oozes comfort.

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  5. As the child of a 4th generation Nebraskan farmer (on both sides), I was informed many times as a kid that "Supper" is what they call the third meal of the day on the farm, and "Dinner" is what they call it in the city. We lived in "The City" and always called it supper, but when I moved to the REAL city (Chicago), I had to change my ways so as to not get ridiculed whilst making reservations at a restaurant. I also started using the word "whilst."

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  6. The whole dinner/supper totally reminds me of my Grandma -- she would always ask if we wanted something to "lunch on" (snack on), lunch = dinner (noon), and dinner = supper (evening meal). I always thought it was so cute!

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  7. If you're serving this roast chicken, I don't care what you call. Love the smell of chicken roasting, especially with a flavored butter under the skin.

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