de Jong Dream House: Easy Oven Baked Chicken with Veggies

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Easy Oven Baked Chicken with Veggies

I've been working on posting my go-to recipes on the blog. So far, I'm wrote about Boerenkool, Indonesian Pilaf, Crockpot Jerk Chicken, Soul Dust Chicken Skillet, Dutch Crockpot Casserole, Bubble and Squeak and Crockpot Hutspot. Most of my meals are made in the crockpot or on the stove, but today's recipe is made in the oven. It's a very versatile chicken dish that is easy to prepare for those days when you really want to get oven made and then sit and veg while it cooks!

Easy Oven Baked Chicken with Veggies
(download a printable-friendly version)

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts. You can use cubed, strips, or whole breasts. Easy.
1 potato per serving, cubed. I always cook extra, so I used 5 potatoes in the pictured meal.
Veggies of your choosing. Plan on one cup per serving. I used carrots here, because that's what the CSA delivered, but I've also used cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, squash, and zucchini--whatever is in season.
4 Tablespoons of your favorite seasoning mix. I used dry onion mix this time, but my favorite is Soul Dust mix. I've also used Italian dressing mix and ranch dressing mix. (You can find a great list of homemade spice blends to try here).
3 Tablespoons olive oil.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Wash and chop potatoes into a small cubes. The potatoes take longer than the rest of the meal, so cutting them into small pieces ensures that everything is ready at the same time, which is the beauty of this meal.

3. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 2 Tablespoons onion soup mix. (A packet of mix is usually 4 Tablespoons).

4. Place the potatoes along one side of your baking dish.

5. Repeat with the other vegetables, using 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.

6. Place the veggies on the other side of your baking dish.

7. Finally, season the chicken with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 2 Tablespoons of mix. Add the chicken to the center of the baking dish. You don't have to season your veggies separately, but I usually do because sometimes I mix up the seasonings. I really like the onion mix with the potatoes, but I love the soul dust rub on the chicken.

8. Cover the dish with tin foil. This isn't necessary, but I've noticed that it does help the potatoes cook evenly.

9. Bake for 1 hour. Dinner is ready when the potatoes are fork tender--they are firm enough to hold their shape but soft enough that you can stick a fork in them easily.

I like our dinners to be colorful. Usually, I have some green veggies in the mix, but since I didn't with this version, I added a small salad and fruit.