Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower
I chose this recipe because of the sweet potatoes and cauliflower alone. I’m digging vegetable sides right now because in the past, on the rare occasions that I did actually cook, vegetables were frozen in a bag. That’s if I felt like making any vegetables at all. And, if you think about it, that’s kind of pathetic, because frozen vegetables take about 5 minutes.
Overall, this recipe wasn’t as much of an adventure as my previous meal. Everything was pretty standard: roast the vegetables, cook the chicken. You could tell what everything was just by looking at it, which is always a plus. Cooking chicken breasts in a skillet, however, always makes me crazy. If someone can please tell me the trick to cooking them through without overcooking the outside I would be indebted to you forever. That reason alone is why I avoid making chicken.
OVERALL RESULT:
Potatoes and cauliflower were awesome. I could eat a meal of just the vegetables for a week straight. My piece of chicken was overcooked, but Jon said his was perfect. I also didn’t feel the chicken had enough flavor. My version of the meal should have been called Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower with Chicken. It tasted like Diet Chicken. Diet Chicken tastes like nothing. Next time I might add some lemon juice. Which I suppose means I would make this again.
RECIPE:
1 sweet potato (about 1/2 pound), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into medium florets
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons sherry or red-wine vinegar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 sprigs thyme
1/2 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss sweet potato and cauliflower with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until cooked through and browned on one side, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and gently toss with 1 tablespoon vinegar.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-low. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook until golden and cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
To skillet, add broth, thyme, and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Cook over medium-high, scraping up browned bits, until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet and turn chicken to coat with sauce. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve chicken with vegetables and pan sauce.
ACCOUTREMENTS:
Wines: No idea what wine should go with this meal, but I drink Black Box Sauvignon Blanc with pretty much everything.
