Chicken Rosemary

When Rob and I were dating, I wanted to let him know that I was a good cook.  The best way I knew how to do that was to make one of my mom's most fool-proof recipes.  You know the kind.. the one that's SO EASY, with SO FEW INGREDIENTS that even the most Non-Cooks of Cooks can put together.

And bonus that this one also happens to be a long-marinating, slow-cooking kind of meal that perfumes the whole house with it's incredible aromas.

Chicken Rosemary
Recipe from my mom

3 lbs chicken pieces*
1 (16oz) bottle Zesty Italian salad dressing
Garlic powder, optional
Crushed, dried rosemary
2-3 potatoes, cubed

*My mom always used bone-in, skin-on chicken legs and thighs, however I tend to use boneless, skinless breasts because I always have them handy.  Follow the recipe exactly if you prefer bone-in, skin-on chicken; reduce the cooking time a bit for boneless, skinless pieces.

1.  Lay out chicken pieces in a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle each piece with a little garlic powder, if desired, and pour dressing over all chicken.  Cover and let marinate in the fridge at least 3 hours.

Just a little sprinkle of garlic powder

2.  Preheat oven to 325.  Pull the chicken out of the fridge and turn the chicken in the marinade.  Sprinkle each piece with rosemary.

I think I used about 1 1/2 tsp of dried rosemary

3.  Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.  Add the potatoes to the pan, stirring a little to make sure the cubes get covered in the marinade.  Return to the oven for another 45 minutes. TOTAL COOK TIME IS 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES.

Keep chopped potatoes in a bowl of cold water until ready to use to keep them from turning brown.

 
If you're going to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I'd recommend adding the potatoes after about 20-30 minutes, and then returning to the oven for at least 40 more minutes.

When I was little, I was always a one-chicken-leg kind of girl.  But the first time my mom made this, I ate 3-4 legs and I don't know how many scoops of potatoes.  The chicken is tender and juicy, the potatoes are soft and comforting....this is just an amazingly flavorful dish.  And best of all, you only need to add a vegetable, like steamed green beans or a tossed salad, to round out this meal.