For all those that sent prayers and well wishes for Beau’s recovery, thank you! He was so much better by the end of Monday and today he was almost himself again. I know some out there think that I’m a little crazy to worry so much about a dog, but to me he’s so much more than just a pet, and over the six+ years we have had this gentle soul, Lisa and I have done everything we can to make up for those first few years of pain and suffering that he endured. So thank you, my friends.
With things almost back to normal I decided a little comfort food was in order, nothing lavish or heavy, just simple good food. I had purchased a whole free range chicken and while I usually roast it whole, I decided to cut it up into quarters and roast it along with some vegetables that I had on hand. Shopping is an adventure with me, and it usually takes a good 2 hours to walk the store, looking at what’s available and trying to plan a menu in my head as I go. I always start in the produce section for no other reason that it’s where the store entrance is, which seems to be the standard these days for grocery stores. This time of year local veggies are in short supply, and if you truly wanted to be a locavore this time of year you would be limited to root vegetables. With that thought in mind, I had purchased a variety of different root vegetables with the intentions of roasting them, of course, I also picked up a few others for color and to keep it interesting.
For years I avoided Fennel, I had no idea just how good it was. The first time I used it more as a necessity in my Mediterranean Ratatouille, and after tasting how good it was roasted, I was hooked! So now its a staple in any roasted vegetable combination I do. If you haven’t tried it you don’t know what your missing, trust me it is delicious!
There is no real recipe for this dinner, I roast meats and vegetables pretty much the same way. Extra virgin Olive Oil, sea salt and pepper, and whatever fresh herbs I have on hand. You can marinate the chicken if you like but give it enough time to absorb the flavors, overnight is the best for marinating chicken. But tonight’s dinner was done more quickly, deciding late in the day what would be made, so after cutting up my chicken, rinsing it thoroughly, it got a nice coating of olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper, then into a 350-degree oven it went! After cutting up some carrots, potatoes, brussels sprouts, fennel and beets, I added some grape tomatoes and whole mushrooms ( I would have added onions, but alas there were none on hand….sigh, how could I forget onions) , they were done the same as the chicken with olive oil, seas salt and pepper. I had some fresh rosemary on hand so it found its way into both the chicken and vegetables.
About 45 minutes later everything was done, and we enjoyed a warm comforting meal of simple wholesome food, and I’ll tell you, sometimes it just doesn’t get any better than that!
More recipes from my site
Chai Marinated Chicken with Roasted Vegetables #OregonChaiMeTime- Deconstructed Chicken Stew – Comfort Food at its Best
- Blueberry Lemon Pistachio Scones and Ask Chef Dennis
- Chicken and Vegetable Crostata – Vintage Recipe Swap
- How to Make Chicken and Shrimp Pepperoni – Backstage at Around the Kitchen Table
- Kale and Corn Succotash with Barber Foods Stuffed Chicken Breasts
skip to malou says
January 30, 2012 at 11:29 pmHello Chef Dennis,
Thank you for the wealth of information that you just shared in this post. I have a google account but not with pinterest. I saw some traffic coming from Pinterest from my blog and i was clueless what it was all about. now i may have to re-consider and join.
thanks again for sharing!
im glad Beau is feeling a lot better.
happy monday,
malou
spicegirl says
January 29, 2012 at 9:22 amI love to image of roaming the grocery store, creating meals as you go!
Thanks so much for the advice about google+ and pinterest. I’m a new food blogger and working on improving my posting consistency. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed browsing your site and appreciate your recipes, tips and beautiful pictures. Thank you!
Liz says
January 28, 2012 at 8:09 pmSo glad your Beau is better…a big whew. I love my furry family member, too! And you and Lisa must have recovered from your bug, too…it’s that time of year.
Thanks for the great tips about Google+. I need to post more than my once a week max…thanks for the push. Hope you’re taking some time to relax this weekend!
Patty says
January 28, 2012 at 11:46 amI’m glad Beau is better! This looks like an excellent classic recipe!
Toni from Boulder Locavore says
January 27, 2012 at 8:14 amCatching up…..excellent post from start to finish. Love the recipe. There is not thing more warming at this time of year than roast chicken. Love all the vegetables too! Your social media advice is all completely spot on. So glad you are on top of everything and sharing it.
Jen says
January 26, 2012 at 5:17 pmI just finally got on board with Pinterest myself. It’s a great way to share similar ideas with your readers – to provide them with quick links to helpful resources or other good recipes. I’m still not sure about Google + yet though… I’m working it, but still not sure.
Peggy says
January 26, 2012 at 4:10 pmPinterest is definitely an obsession of mine – there’s a wealth of ideas out there, food and nonfood-related!
Culinary Cache says
January 26, 2012 at 3:03 pmGreat recipe! I grew up eating fennel and it is still one of my favorites. Grilled is another amazing way to prepare it. 🙂 I’ll be looking into Google+ as well.
Dara says
January 26, 2012 at 1:49 pmThanks Dennis! Just joined Google+ on your recommendation. Now I just have to figure out how to use it. Great chicken too!
Megan @ Pip and Ebby says
January 26, 2012 at 11:47 amI’m so sorry to hear your dog was having some problems!! I hope he is feeling better. Poor guy.
Roasted anything…I love! I am especially a huge fan of roasted veggies. Fennel is one of my new finds, too. Yummy!
Sara @ Saucy Dipper says
January 26, 2012 at 10:40 amWe took our beagle Moe to the emergency vet last night for the 3rd time in six months. He’s 3 years old! Agh. But he’s part of the family and we’d be devastated if we lost him. I really understand where you’re coming from with your pooch, too.
Delicious looking chicken you got there…
Emily @ Life on Food says
January 26, 2012 at 7:04 amI need to get on the Google + boat soon. I love Pinterest and it is my new favorite pastime.
Best wishes for your dog. They are very much a part of the family.
Ann says
January 26, 2012 at 1:33 amTerrific and timely information – as always! …and a delicious chicken to boot! YUM!
Mary says
January 25, 2012 at 6:06 pmI love Pinterest for saving unique recipes I want to try, but I never thought of it before in terms of wanting to have followers. How would that even affect my blog? I guess I need to finally do something with that Google+ account that’s been collecting dust too!
Joan Nova says
January 25, 2012 at 6:04 pmSo funny…I just went on google+ and said I wasn’t really getting it…and why were so many ppl with no common interest or profiles soliciting me to be friends? I was tinking of pulling the plug until I read this post. I’ll give it more attention and time.
Pinterest is simple and I find a pleasant diversion since it’s all visual.
P.S. Great looking chicken dish.
Jody @ the hobby room says
January 25, 2012 at 5:09 pmI love that you added the veg with your chicken, who could possibly be against roasted vegetables and the extra deliciousness they add to the chicken. I wish you lived next door, I want that for dinner!
Thanks for the “kick in the pants” re: Google+. I joined forever ago and haven’t used it at all, so just went this morning to add to my personal profile and created a page for my blog. I’m glad you’re out there letting the rest of us know what we need to know!
Kankana says
January 25, 2012 at 5:09 pmI am completely addicted to pinterest but Google+ not yet! As I have an account and some friends but haven’t give a single second it 🙂
In Katrina's Kitchen says
January 25, 2012 at 4:34 pmI joined google+ so long ago but have done nothing with it 🙁 ugh I was kind of hoping it would just go away. Siiiiiiiigh
Chef D says
January 25, 2012 at 5:30 pmthat was kind of the thought I had with digital camera’s, I kept waiting for film to come back..lol, you see how that worked!
anna says
January 25, 2012 at 4:34 pmi am still undecided on google+, they seem so EVIL…yet i am interested in getting more publicity on my blog. sigh what to do. maybe i’ll just make this chicken and think about it 🙂
Chef D says
January 25, 2012 at 5:31 pmI would call G+ a lot of things but not Evil, despite what twitter and facebook say…lol
RavieNomNoms says
January 25, 2012 at 2:42 pmThis looks great Chef! To be quite honest, I feel like I already post in so many places that it will just be more work, but I am going to check out this Google+ thing and see what it is all about. I am so glad to hear your pup is doing better too!
nicole @ I am a Honey Bee says
January 25, 2012 at 12:41 pmI love pinterest!!!! I love seeing all the things you pin, very fun and inspiring
Anna says
January 25, 2012 at 12:34 pmFirst of all, thank you for the advice on Google+. Signed up, added you to my circles 🙂 Second, thank you for following back on Pinterest. Third – the chicken looks fabulous!
Kirsten@My German Kitchen...in the Rockies says
January 25, 2012 at 10:51 amDennis, I am glad to hear your puppy is better. I totally understand. My doggie means the world to me and I would do anything for him, too.
Thanks for all the helpful social media tips. You and Toni are quiet the pros. I joined google+ a while ago and just started pinning more often. Pinterest is very addictive.
We love roasted chicken at our house, too, yes, and with lots of veggies on the side. Fennel is also one of my favorites.
Christina of Form V Artisan says
January 25, 2012 at 10:14 amRoasted VEG!! Looks like perfection Mr. Chef.
xo
Kimby says
January 25, 2012 at 9:03 amThanks for the food for thought, Chef Dennis — also for the FOOD — but mostly for showing your heart.
Susan says
January 25, 2012 at 6:41 amGlad you baby is doing better. And thanks for the google+ advice. I have a profile, but have really been ignoring it. It’s so hard to keep up with all this stuff; I appreciate when others share their experiences. And finally, thanks for the reminder that fennel is the bomb. I way underutilize it in my cooking. But boy is it awesome!
Tina@flourtrader says
January 25, 2012 at 6:39 amTo me, dogs are just like a family member, so I am glad to hear that your dog is better.
After seeing this post I am convinced I need to roast some root veggies! There is a lot at the market these days and I do deem them as a comfort food. Your dish looks amazing.
Also, great info on Google and Pinterest, glad to be in googles search engine. Enjoy the day, chef!
Maureen says
January 25, 2012 at 6:25 amWonderful news about Beau. I know if something happened to Charlie I’d be devastated. He’s family. He’d be happy to tell you that the cats are NOT people. He tolerates them but if they floated away in the rain he wouldn’t object. They adore him. It’s funny.
What’s better than a roasted chicken and veggie dinner? I should have done that tonight. Instead I put baby potatoes, garlic cloves, olive oil, fresh rosemary and sea salt and pepper. Adding other veggies would have made it healthier but the head of the household loved them. That was okay too. 🙂
Kiri W. says
January 25, 2012 at 6:18 amThis looks fantastic – and the vegetables even more so than the chicken! Wonderful caramelization and mmm, I can just imagine the sweetness from the roasting. Glorious!
Larry says
January 25, 2012 at 6:05 amGreat looking dish Dennis – it’s obvious you’re a chef. I’m not a big fan of roasted vegetables, but you make them look so good, I may have to reconsider.
Sprigs of Rosemary says
January 25, 2012 at 1:38 amThe comfort food was perfect, just what it should be, the technology update informative. Tough to keep up sometimes, and I so appreciate your insights. (And glad to hear about Beau!)
Melissa@EyesBigger says
January 25, 2012 at 12:15 amHey Chef,
I thought I’d share a link to an article with some fantastic links to Pinterest resources with your readers. I haven’t even got through them all but there’s lot of good info here. http://www.mattaboutbusiness.com/why-pinterest-is-your-business-new-best-friend/
As for Google+ – well, the tech world is not terribly happy with Google’s changes and a lot of us have been thinking of moving to Bing, believe it or not! I’ve found that since the changes have happened, when I am researching something, I actually have to log out of Google to get decent results otherwise it’s all stuff from my google circles, which while I enjoy much of what they post, it’s not necessarily helpful when I want to do research. You miss out on a lot of good info. Also, Google has announced some sweeping privacy changes that will affect your gmail, google+ and youtube services, starting March 1st. Something to be aware of!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
January 24, 2012 at 11:39 pmGlad to hear Beau’s doing better! I must tell you that I picked up a fennel bulb in the store the other day and almost put it in my cart but being wary of how to incorporate it into dinner made me put it back. No longer shall I be scared of the bulb, you have a fine mix of veggies in your roast and prepped just how I like them, sounds awesome. Great info on G+ and Pintrest, I’m using both but need to utilise more!!
Thanks and take care…
Kim - Liv Life says
January 24, 2012 at 11:12 pmDennis, I’m so glad that your dog is doing better… the little guys do have a way of worming themselves into your heart, don’t they? We lost our Golden 12 years ago and it took me 10 years to get another dog because I can’t even think of losing them again.
The chicken?? Absolutely perfect! This is one that would work for the whole family, thank you. I’m feeling a bit of a cooking funk lately and having trouble motivating to do new things.
Ok… Google +. I signed up and have done nothing else. I will motivate on that too and try to get it all figured out! Thanks for keeping me moving!!!
Hyosun Ro says
January 24, 2012 at 11:02 pmI often roast chicken for week night meals. Looking at your beautiful dish, I should try to roast more vegetables with my chicken. I also love how you put it so simple and effortless to make this wholesome and comforting dish.
Janet@FCTC says
January 24, 2012 at 11:00 pmI’m glad Beau is doing better, Chef Dennis. 🙂 I had been wondering today and hoping for an update.
Roast chicken is one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s so easy yet can be varied with so many different flavors.
I’m going to have to give fennel a try… I’ve always kind of looked at it, gotten leery and passed right by.
Pinterest is evil lol. I spend far too much time on there. As for Google+ I admit that while I have it, I’m not really sure what to DO with it.
Kita says
January 24, 2012 at 10:40 pmI am in love with Pinterest lately. This dish is beautiful. I love the slew of vegetables. That is my kind of meal. I love hearty vegetables and this dish looks like a perfect meal any time of year, but especially in the cozy kind of weather.