Rosemary Chicken and Mushroom Skillet

This hearty and filling meal comes together in one large skillet. Yes, you read that correctly, one skillet! That means lots of extra time for you not spent cleaning a sink full of dishes. I highly recommend sticking to the recipe and using bone-in chicken. Leaving the bone in keeps the chicken juicy and flavorful. Boneless chicken will work fine, but it might become dried out, so you will want to check on it more frequently.

Recipe yields 6 servings

Ingredients
1 lb baby red potatoes, diced
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 1 tbsp extra leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 lemons
Pinch of salt
Dash of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
10 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

Preheat the oven to 450F degrees. Add the potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.

Mince the garlic into a paste and combine with rosemary leaves, red pepper flakes and salt. Add to a mixing bowl and whisk together with the juice from 1 lemon and the olive oil. Add chicken to the bowl and flip to evenly coat chicken. Heat a skillet on high heat and cook chicken, skin-side down until browned and crisp.

Turn the chicken and add the cooked potatoes and mushrooms to the skillet. Drizzle with the juice of the remaining lemon and fill in the gaps of the skillet with rosemary sprigs and the squeezed lemon halves. Place the skillet in the oven and roast, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Serve and enjoy!

Simple Roasted Chicken

A roast chicken is so versatile and can be very easy with a few simple steps. However, most people find it so intimidating. I promise, I can change all of that. The secret, and only key ingredient, is herb butter. Any herb butter! Pick your favorite flavors and make your own (that's what I show you below). Once you have your herb butter, all it takes is a little massaging and a little waiting and you are on your way to a delicious roasted chicken.

Recipe yields 2-3 servings

Ingredients
2 1/2 - 3 lb whole chicken
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 sprigs rosemary
1 lemon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

About a half hour before you are ready to start, let your chicken sit at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Finely mince the leaves of the rosemary. Please note you can use thyme, parsley, tarragon, whatever spices you prefer or have on hand. Today I chose to use rosemary, but get creative and change it up if you would like.

In a bowl, add the butter, minced rosemary and zest from the lemon. Mix to combine all ingredients and create an herb butter. (You will want your butter to be soft to make this easier.)

Using your fingers, loosen up the skin from the chicken. Take about a tablespoon of the herb butter and massage it into the chicken breasts between the meat and the skin. Continue until both breasts are coated, using a tablespoon at a time until they are covered. With the remaining butter, massage it into the rest of the bird, being sure to get into all the corners and edges (don't forget under the wings!). Stuff the bird with lemon halves and extra rosemary sprigs.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan, heavily lined with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Cook for about 1 hour before checking the chicken. Your chicken will be ready when the juices are clear, if you still see pink, continue to cook at 15 minute intervals.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the oven and let rest on a cutting board before carving and serving. Enjoy your deliciously fresh and simple roasted chicken!

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Growing up, at the first sign of sickness, it was always straight to the chicken soup. In my mind, chicken soup could cure anything from a stuffy nose to a sore throat. With all the nutrients from the vegetables and protein to give you strength from the chicken, a hearty bowl of chicken noodle soup covers it all, and warms up your insides in the process. You are going to love this soup because it is easy to make a big batch, it has a lot of flavor from the different spices and it is hearty and filling. With all the coughing and sneezing going on, play it safe and cook up a large pot for precautionary action.

Recipe yields 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1 lb chicken breast
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups celery
1 large yellow onion
2 cups carrots
4-5 cloves of garlic
8 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups dry pasta (any size or style you prefer)

Lets start out with our mise en place. First cut your celery into a medium chop.

Next, chop your onion and toss it in the bowl.

Finally, chop your carrots and mince the garlic. In the bowl they go.

Add the olive oil into a large stock pot. Heat it up and throw in your bowl of veggies. Stir so all the veggies get a nice coat of oil. Put on a lid and sweat the vegetables for 8 minutes or so on medium high heat.

While the veggies are sweating, cook your chicken. Coat a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and sear on both sides. Cook 4-5 minutes each side until chicken is cooked through.

Cut the chicken into bite sized cubes and set aside.

Mince the rosemary leaves.

Add the chicken stock and rosemary to the pot. Bring it to a rolling boil and stir for 5 minutes. Lower heat to a simmer.

Bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch or two of salt and cook the pasta. Cook to al dente as it will continue to cook once added to the soup.

Toss in the noodles and chicken and stir. Let simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Ladle into a serving bowl and enjoy!