Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables.

Awhile back I bought The Food You Crave when I was on a health kick and then I was very disappointed so I only made one thing. I started feeling guilty about buying it and not using it so last week I decided I needed to try another recipe.

I went for her Tuscan Roasted Chicken with Vegetables because you know, you can’t really go wrong with roasted chicken, right? Especially when it’s got rosemary sprinkled on top.

This turned out great. The husband’s first response was “I have to eat vegetables?!” but he got over it quickly once he tried the chicken. He even ate some of the zucchini. I did learn that neither of us are fennel fans which is probably a good thing since it’s $5.99 a pound around here.

Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
from: The Food You Crave

6 toma tomatoes (I used cherry because of all the scary talk about romas)
3 medium zucchini
1 bulb fennel
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoons salt
4 bone-in chicken breasts halves, skin removed
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut the tomatoes lengthwise into quarters and remove seeds. Trim the zucchini and cut it in half crosswise. Then cut each piece in half lengthwise if the piece is thin and three times if it is thicker, so that the pieces are relatively uniform.

Remove the outermost later of the fennel bulb and discard. Cut the bulb in half so that each half retains part of the stem end. Cut each half into 8 thin wedges so that each wedge is held together by a little piece of stem.

Put the vegetables in a large baking dish. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the chicken pieces in the pan with the vegetables.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt, the garlic, and lemon zest and juice. Rub the mixture into the chicken in the pan. Season with a few turns of pepper. Roast for 3 minutes, then give the vegetables a stir and add the rosemary. Return to the oven and roast until the chicken is just cooked all the way through and the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 20 to 30 minutes more.