While I love strong flavours, saucy dishes and recipes with 37 different ingredients, sometimes a one-pan wonder of chicken and potatoes is just what the evening needs. Especially after a vicious vertical run. Well, it could’ve been more vicious in length (3.9km, not too shabby!) but it made up for it in verticality? climb – check out that terrain map!
Screenshot from MapMyRun iPhone app
After following a Pinterest link to a recipe that didn’t sound as delicious as it’s picture and then hopefully clicking on to another pretty picture, I found this recipe for Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans.
The housemate offered up his chicken breasts for the greater good and we picked up some good-lookin’ green beans, red spuds & lemons from the supermarket.
We missed out on making our usual trek to the local farmer’s markets on the weekend as we were in downtown Lithgow for Team Frog‘s go-kart race – a race which they won, might I proudly add! We also befriended a whole herd of goats and a pony.
The sights of Lithgow: The goat, the horse & the grass
If you’re looking for a bang-it-in-the-oven one-pan-wonder, this chicken dinner is your winner. While I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter, you could quite easily mix it up depending on what is floating around in the crisper. We likened it to the slightly healthier version of Nigella’s Spanish Chicken which The Lad & I simply adore & most definitely should make again soon.
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans
Slightly Adapted from Real Simple
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- ~6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- generous sprinkling of salt & pepper
- 3-4 good handfuls of green beans
- ~8 small red potatoes, quartered (I used slightly bigger spuds & so only used about 4 and just cut them into small wedges)
- ~700g chicken breast – we had two very large skinless, boneless breasts so I just sliced those up into tenders
Directions
- Preheat oven to 230 degrees Celsius. Coat a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil & arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom.
- In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly.
- Once coated, place the chicken on top of the beans & pour any of the remaining olive oil mixture over the chicken.
- Roast for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through & the potatoes have softened in the centre & browned slightly on the edges.
This is an easy week night dinner that takes minimal preparation & delivers low-key deliciousness for big & small eaters alike. It’s going to take a pretty fussy eater to decline this one!
