Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

So I'm learning a lot about myself in this week of No Cooking Dinner.  For one, I think about food, and what I'm making for dinner, and what I might bake today, and what sides am I going to make tonight, and what dessert would be good this week, way too much.  Taking all that away to focus purely on my family is weird.  But good!  Yeah, totally good and awesome therapy to put all things in perspective.  I am spending more time snuggling with Kieran on the couch, playing tic-tac-toe with Gavin, or watching the boys "race" little push carts around the living room.  It's nice to worry less about dinner, and have more time to absorb the life happening around me.

I made marinated tomatoes to round out the meal.

But anyway, I did make this dish last week, and it's fabulous.  I'm really not sure what I love more about this recipe: the minimal hands-on prep time, that it essentially all cooks in almost one dish (well, you use a little skillet to make the sauce but I'm not going to count that), or the fantastic flavor!

Garlic Chicken and Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine
Prep time: 5 minutes   Cook time: 35 minutes

2 lbs small red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. Spread in a large baking dish and roast until the potatoes begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Little potato cubes with just a touch of cumin.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden, about 1-2 minutes [Keep a close eye on it! Minced garlic burns quickly]. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, lemon juice and red pepper flakes.

My pan is dark so you can't see the warm brown color of the sauce real well.

3.  Remove the baking dish from the oven, push the potatoes to the sides and arrange the chicken breasts in the middle. Season the chicken with salt and drizzle with the garlic mixture. Return to the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

Just shove things aside to make room.

4.  Remove from the oven; transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice. Add the parsley to the baking dish and toss with the potatoes. Serve the chicken with the potatoes and lemon wedges. Drizzle with the pan juices.

Almost finished!

If you're like me, you may be thinking that Garlic Chicken is going to have that strong, spicy GARLIC flavor to it.  You'd kinda be wrong though.  The garlic ended up having this sweeter, almost roasted flavor to it, which was oh-so-lovely on the juicy, tender chicken!  The potatoes cooked up to this soft, comforting perfection.  Truly this was such a comfort food meal that I can't wait to make it again!!

p.s. Even GAVIN liked this and asked for seconds!  That's such a rarity that I always feel compelled to let you know when I have a Gavin Approved dish.