Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Baked Chicken
 and Roasted Radicchio, Turnips, and Garlic

baked chicken and roasted radicchio, turnips, and garlic

In the tiny cabbage category, I also submit radicchio and thus end my baked chicken and roasted vegetable series for this round.

Radicchio and turnips together is perhaps a little too much bitter in the same dish, so maybe change up the combination to your own taste. Or maybe use twice as much garlic, which really contrasts nicely here. I was chasing the garlics around the bowl with my fork, c'mere, you tasty little nubbins...

4 chicken thighs
   plus 4 more chicken thighs to eat with soup,
optional
salt
pepper
two radicchio
three or five turnips
a head of garlic

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Debone the chicken thighs using a very sharp, small knife. Sprinkle the cut side of the meat with a little salt and pepper. Arrange the pieces on the baking sheet, tucking the skin under the meat. Don't bother with aluminum foil. Also don't bother trimming the skin or if you do, scatter the extra pieces of skin on the baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning the sheet around halfway through if your oven is uneven.

While the chicken is baking trim and quarter the radicchio lengthwise, scrub, trim, and cut the turnips into large pieces, and smash the garlic to peel.

Take the chicken pieces out of the pan and set them aside. If you did eight chicken thighs, drain some of the fat off and put the extra four chicken thighs away to eat with soup later in the week.

Turn the oven up to 500 degrees. Arrange the vegetables on the baking sheet, turnips first, give them a 15 minute head start in the oven. Then add the radicchio and garlic and roast for another 15 minutes, making sure that the garlic is somewhat sheltered near the other vegetables.

Fill four jars with a sliced chicken thigh and a fourth of the roasted vegetables each, these you can just reheat in the microwave and eat. Or you know, eat whatever you want right away and put away whatever's left.