Looking for an easy dish
that can make multiple meals? Sheet-pan chicken does the trick.
I cook for others all week long — on the job and then at home. On Sundays, I cook what I want to eat. I crave simple food, so my day doesn’t center on the kitchen. I choose (mostly) ordinary ingredients that don’t break the bank or require multiple store visits but still deliver value and comfort. Ever the planner, I prepare enough food at once to ensure I have leftovers to tote for lunch and a second dinner.
More often than not, a hot oven factors into these dinners. Ditto for a sturdy, rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold dinner for four.
Usually, chicken fills the pan — cut-up parts rubbed generously with warm spices. I tuck plenty of vegetables around the parts to soak up the juices and transform into meltingly tender goodness.
Spatchcocked chickens (whole splayed-open chickens with their backbones re- moved) garner lots of attention on the internet for their dramatic appearance. The onceubiquitous “cut-up whole chicken” not so much. Nor is it readily available in the supermarket. These days, drumsticks, thighs, breasts, even wings are sold in separate packages. Mix and match as you see fit.
Brining chickens in a saltand-sugar solution before roasting keeps the meat moist. A Greek yogurt marinade does this trick as well. I heavily season the yogurt with spices and garlic — in this case, black garlic, also known as fermented garlic. It’s super-mild, shockingly black and aromatic.
Two hours in this mix proves sufficient to add flavor and moistness to the chicken. Shake the chicken to remove most of the marinade and place the pieces on the baking sheet. I roast the chicken a few minutes to facilitate skin browning, then add the vegetables and dot the bird with a garlickyherb butter.
When everything is tender, serve the chicken with the vegetables. A scoop of rice makes quick work of any juices on your plate.
Happy Sunday to me. And you.