how to make a really awesome chicken dinner for a rainy day.

fan-freakin'-tastic chicken dinner

This is something that a mom would make, except that mine never did. Not that my mom had anything against a dish like this because she did make a very similar pot roast recipe involving beef. But this dish has chicken which is way better in my opinion.

This meal will make your place smell fan-freakin’-tastic. One magical sniff is all that it will take to make this the very best thing to have happened to you over the course of a very rainy and dreary Labour Day Monday. And a plateful is so good that it will almost cure your hangover. Almost.

I didn’t really measure anything for this meal and I think you can go carefree with the amounts and still come up with something awesome. Despite not having any liquid in this recipe, when I opened the pot, there was a delicious gravy. It’s all part of the magic I guess and it made me very, very happy. So happy that I didn’t bother to take a photo. And it was too dark anyway with it being September and rainy and all, so instead you get a weird speedy drawing of colourful blobs to represent this deliciousness.

how to make a really awesome chicken dinner for a rainy day.
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut up a few potatoes into quarters or eighths and put them into a large oven ready lidded casserole dish (I use my thrifted old Le Cruset dish because I’m lucky like that). Cut half a large onion into quarters. Chop 2 carrots into 1-2 inch bits. Throw into pot. Add in 2 handfuls of sungold tomatoes too. Sprinkle with kosher salt, hammer it with freshly ground pepper and rosemary. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil over top, 4 if you’re feeling fancy free. Toss everything.

Take 4 bone-in chicken thighs and remove skin. season with salt, pepper and rosemary. In a heavy skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil add brown chicken thighs on both sides. When they have a nice colour, place them on top of the vegetables along with the pan juices, put on the lid and put the whole shebang into the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. Halfway through cooking time, stir things around a bit so all the vegetables cook evenly, but keep the chicken on top. Remove lid and cook for another 15 minutes.

18 comments to “how to make a really awesome chicken dinner for a rainy day.”

  1. 1
    Jessie   September 7, 2010 at 1:31 am

    haha, this is a very cute post! i love it xx

  2. 2
    Joanne   September 7, 2010 at 3:16 am

    I love making dishes like this because of the way they make the house smell! Like comfort food aerosolized.

  3. 3
    Brenda   September 7, 2010 at 6:34 am

    Sounds like a perfect hangover meal – easy to make and delicious to eat. And anything with sungold tomatoes in it has to be good. It’s the law.

  4. 4
    Tracy   September 7, 2010 at 9:56 am

    You are lucky like that 🙂 The illustration is wonderful. Has a vintage pep rally feel to it.

  5. 5
    Bellcurves   September 7, 2010 at 10:56 am

    Sounds so cozy and comfy and delicious for when the weather turns cooler. Can’t wait to try this. This reminds me of a recipe I saw from Jamie Oliver in “The Week” magazine quite some time ago. I probably kept it, and definitely made a mental note of it.

  6. 6
    kickpleat   September 7, 2010 at 1:02 pm

    Thanks Jessie, glad you liked it 🙂

    Joanne, this was the perfect cozy house smell. Loved it!

    Totally Brenda, and I agree about the Sun golds! So good.

    Thanks Tracy 🙂 Go go chicken!!

    Bellcurves, this is a total Jamie Oliver type of meal. I remember when I had cable and could watch his show, I’d always soon over his roasted cozy dishes.

  7. 7
    TrippyTexan   September 7, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    This looks so easy and colorful and tasty! I’ve been stuck in a rut with chicken lately– definitely got to try this.

  8. 8
    hag   September 7, 2010 at 2:23 pm

    Sounds like my kind of cooking! I will have to keep this in mind the next rainy day! 😉
    One question – what are sungold tomatoes?

  9. 9
    Cate   September 7, 2010 at 8:53 pm

    Love stuff like this. I make something a bit similar but cooked on the stove top. It’s with carrots, tomatoes (canned), onion, ginger and chicken thighs. I serve with mashed potatoes.

  10. 10
    kickpleat   September 8, 2010 at 9:46 am

    TrippyTexan, this will banish your cooking rut.

    Hag, sungold tomatoes are those small orange cherry tomatoes. They have an amazing flavour and I’ll be sad when they disappear!

    Cate, on the stovetop would also be so delicious. And mashed potatoes? Perfect!

  11. 11
    Bijoux   September 8, 2010 at 8:20 pm

    Great colourful illustration! The chicken pieces have smiles (rosemary) and they all seem to be cheering with their flags. Yes, I like to over analyze things sometimes. My parents are finally cleaning out 40 years of accumulated stuff(crap) in their basement and I’m hoping a pre-loved, Le Creuset something or other will appear. Ha, wishful thinking. Anyway, this dish sounds delish! I haven’t had chicken in ages and I’m craving it lately.

  12. 12
    kickpleat   September 9, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    All about the rosemary smiles, Bijoux 🙂 I hope you find some good stuff in their basement! My dad’s basement is scarily filled with junk (re: hoarders), but I’m sure there’s lots of good stuff inside.

  13. 13
    Ashley   September 13, 2010 at 8:57 pm

    I love when you draw what you’ve made instead of posting a photo!

  14. 14
    kickpleat   September 14, 2010 at 7:37 pm

    Thanks Ashley, I have to get into the habit more of drawing my meals. Now that the days are shorter, I might just have to do that more often!

  15. 15
    Jennifer   November 1, 2010 at 10:49 am

    This sounds delicious! Would it still work if I left the skin on the chicken?

  16. 16
    kickpleat   November 1, 2010 at 10:56 am

    Jennifer, you can definitely keep the skin on – it will just be a more oily dish.

  17. 17
    Danabee   January 3, 2011 at 9:04 pm

    Nom, nom, nom. At last a new easy, different spin on baked chicken. You’re right, Jeannette, the sauce it makes is killer. I think I might coax it along with a little wine next time so we aren’t fighting over it. I also threw in a handful of the oven-dried sungolds I froze last September and am now rationing. Tomatoes well spent, I say.

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