Easier than Any Freezer Dinner

Every time I make this roasted chicken with barbecue sauce I say to myself: Why don’t I do this meal on those nights I reach for the box mac & cheese or frozen pizza? It’s fresher and healthier than most things you’ll pull out of a box (Don’t worry, I still love you Trader Joe), but more to the point, it’s just as easy. In fact, I kind of can’t believe I didn’t include it in the six-week Dinner Doula plan I wrote up for parents who are paralyzed by the idea of cooking homemade food for their kids. If I had a do-over, this recipe would be Dinner Number One. Look how simple it is:

1) Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove drumsticks (or thighs) from package and place in a foil-lined roasting pan.
2)  Add a little salt and pepper and brush a thin layer of barbecue sauce on each. (If you are a beginner, I realize the likelihood of having a stash of homemade sauce lying around is slim; don’t worry, just use your favorite bottled kind.)
3) Every 10 minutes or so, flip and brush on another thin layer of sauce. After 30 minutes, they are done. That’s it.

I haven’t tuned in to the 2011 season of Food Revolution, but last year I remember Jamie Oliver served a chicken like this along with a shredded salad to tempt the West Virginia school kids away from the nuggets and fries. Sadly, hardly any of the kids were convinced, but I sure was. For a year I’ve wanted to make a salad that looked like that one. I guess technically you might call it a slaw. Whatever you call it, it rocked.

Shredded Salad with Mint and Yogurt Dressing

In a large bowl, add a handful of each of the following: shredded carrots, shredded red cabbage, shredded spinach, shredded bibb lettuce. Add 2 tablespoons chopped scallions and 2 tablespoons chopped mint. Toss with yogurt dressing which you make like this: Whisk together 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar), 1 large teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 large tablespoon plain yogurt, 1/3 cup olive oil, salt and pepper.

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14 Comments

Adrienne

Yummy. This shredded salad sounds wonderful. It would be the perfect dish to temper the heat of Ohio June evenings 🙂

Reply
MommyLisa

Oh – I am SO going to do this with honey mustard instead of BBQ. My daughter recently discovered chicken wings & legs and LOVES honey mustard.

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Krystal

I love when I can read your blog and by 10 am have a plan for a supper that I am looking forward to, and I know my kids will eat some part of. DALS is really, really great!

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Caitlin

The last three nights have consisted of being dinner lazy, or, as we like to call it, boosting the local economy (ie: takeout pizza, chinese, greek). But this will get us back into the at home cooking swing of things, think I’ll do this tonight!

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Jana

Yummy and easy – perfect! And I loved that Real Simple article – just what I needed to read! Thank you for your non-judgemental attitude!

Reply
Jenny

Jana – Anytime! Remember — DALS is the family table. No judgemental attitudes allowed.

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Debbie

This will show my chicken leg lack-of-knowledge, but can you do this with the skin off the leg?
Thank you!!

Reply
The Spotted Duck

Made this tonight! The chicken was amazing. The salad was really bitter though! I had to throw a ton of honey on it to make it edible. Not sure if it was the red cabbage (I could only find baby red cabbages) or what but that was the only disappointment!

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