Often times, I hit the grocery store with some dinner options in mind, but then the roasted chicken stand catches my eye. We all know the one! The greasy, juicy, delicious roasted chicken that you enjoy with potato wedges and macaroni salad- ring any bells? If you didn’t get to experience this in your childhood, it’s time to enjoy this magical combination immediately. Or else, try my healthier option for this great dinner!

This is one of those dinners that looks pretty impressive despite its ease to make. I love when Eric comes home from work with an appetite and dinner is already in the oven just wafting garlic butter through the apartment. It’s a nice feeling. And, you get to enjoy the smell of dinner cooking while you kick back with a glass of wine.

One of the reasons I love this dinner so much is for its nutritional value. Chicken is a great lean meat to work with and of course a great source of protein. If you are doing any form of workout and are not a vegetarian/pescatarian, you should be consuming as much protein as possible. You could substitute the chicken with any form of fish if you preferred. The other reason I love this dinner is because of the ease of cooking it. The prep time is approximately 20-30 minutes, however the rest is up to the oven, while you relax. It’s a one-dish dinner that is flavourful and appetizing for most palates. The third reason for my love for this dinner, like most of the dinners I make, you can change up the vegetables and the meat to whatever you prefer. I chose cauliflower, red beets, sweet potatoes, and of course the chicken. Other options for vegetables would be broccoli, brussel sprouts, golden beets, carrots, white onion, red peppers, and/or golden potatoes. It’s all up to you!

Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets), 10 large beets (washed, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes), 2 large sweet potatoes (washed, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes), 1 lemon (sliced into wedges), 1 clove garlic (minced), 1/2 cup butter (melted), 1 tbsp garlic powder.

Instructions: preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut beets and sweet potatoes into 2 inch chunks. Wash a cut the cauliflower into florets. Slice the lemon into wedges. Mince the garlic and melt butter in the microwave, then stir in the garlic. Place cut veggies into the bottom of a glass dish or other bakeware that works for the amount of veggies/size of chicken. Place the chicken on top of the veggies. Squeeze the lemon wedges over the chicken and veggies and place them around the chicken, then shake the garlic powder overtop of the chicken. Use a brush to glaze the chicken with the garlic butter. Place dish in the oven for 50-60 minutes to ensure the chicken is fully cooked through and all vegetables are soft. *It always takes potatoes and beets a long time to cook, so check on them towards the end to determine if you need to increase the cooking time.

As you can see above, I also made a small and simple spinach salad. I used a food processor to blend 2 avocados, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and 4 tbsp olive oil to make the dressing. It’s basically a guacamole salad! Feel free to make any salad you like to complete the dinner.

I would serve this dinner with a balanced, zesty white wine like a sauvignon blanc or an  unoaked chardonnay. Enjoy!