Chicken

...and in the Healthy Eating category...or at least the trying-to-cook-healthy-food-from-scratch category, here's my chicken creation from a few nights ago, which made great leftovers for work-lunches. I always go overboard on olive oil and never use enough salt, but at least I call them by their names and not my own silly abbreviations (ahem, miss Ray, just chill with your A.D.D.-style cuisine...it's been called Olive Oil for thousands of years and I don't think we need to go changing it now.) ;)

Baked Chicken with Veggies and Herbs. (Because it has chicken. and veggies. and herbs.)

2 med. to lg. onions
two green peppers
approx. 10-12 roma tomatoes (less juicy and easier to dice)
fresh thyme, oregano, basil (i used about 3 T. of each FRESH herb - 1.5 T. for each layer; you can use less if you're using dried)
salt
pepper
olive oil
chicken (i used 3 leg/thigh pieces; or 3 boneless breasts)
grated parm (i like the fresher grated stuff in the jar, not the powdery kind)
rice

preheat oven to 400. dice vegetables. grease cassarole dish with thin coating of olive oil. layer 1/2 of the diced onions, peppers, and tomatoes on bottom of dish. sprinkle generously with fresh chopped thyme, oregano and basil (or use dried if you absolutely have to! ;) ) sprinkle with salt and pepper.

next, place chicken pieces on top of veggies. brush lightly with olive oil; salt and pepper. now layer the rest of the diced veggies on top of the chicken, sprinkle again with lots of fresh herbs and salt/pepper. drizzle the whole thing with olive oil (i tend to use way more than is necessary, you might just like a light sprinkle of it...)

sprinkle with just a small amt of parm cheese if desired.

bake uncovered for 1 hr. or until chicken is done and juices run clear (probably less time if you're using boneless chicken). serve w/ steamed rice.


What I think made this extra yummy is the tomatoes and herbs straight from my garden, the peppers and onions from the farmer's market, and the simplicity of it all. Less can be more in life and cooking. ;-)