Roasting with Friends

I have mentioned several times on previous posts how one of the best parts of living in Birmingham is having both of our families within about a ten mile radius. I am not sure I have mentioned that one of the other best parts is having so many childhood friends living within that same radius. We have friends that we have known since preschool and elementary school just minutes away. While we love all our friends, old and new, it is really special to have memories with someone that date back twenty plus years. As is life not all of our friends from growing up still live here in Birmingham, however, lucky for us they tend to come and visit their families every so often and we usually get to see them too. This week Julie, Brian, and their precious little ones were in town for a few days. So, tonight Sumner, John, Julie, and Brian all came over for dinner. It was a fun time catching up, sharing some wine and food, and maybe even playing a little Wii!

I decided to make a dish that could be in the oven when everyone arrived, so that all I had to do was pull it out and place it on a serving platter when it was done. These are the types of dishes that are great for entertaining as it maximizes the time you get to spend with your guests and it allows you to have the kitchen cleaned up before your guests arrive. For tonight I made Mediterranean Chicken with Mushrooms and Zucchini from one of the recent issues of Fine Cooking.

To start you mix the balsamic vinegar, rosemary, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Next add the olive oil and mix it well until incorporated. Then take 1 tablespoon of the mixture and set it aside to use later. Next take your roasting pan and scatter the pearl onions over the bottom. Then add the mushrooms placing them cap side up. Stir the vinegar mixture and then brush the tops of the mushrooms with the mixture. Then scatter the pancetta over the mushrooms and onions. Next arrange the chicken pieces, skin side up, over the mushrooms and onions and brush them with the remaining vinegar mixture. Place this in a preheated oven (400) and roast for 30 minutes. While it is roasting toss the zucchini with the reserved vinegar mixture. Next combine the wine, rosemary, balsamic vinegar and salt in a measuring cup and stir together. Once the chicken has roasted for 30 minutes remove it from the oven and pour the wine mixture around the chicken. Then scatter the zucchini around and lower the temperature to 375. Put the chicken and vegetables back in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes more or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

This was a very savory and delicious dish. The chicken was tender and the vegetables were cooked perfectly. I really liked the flavor combination of the mushrooms, zucchini and onions. The rosemary and balsamic vinegar both gave great flavor that was savory and earthy. Like I mentioned earlier I love dishes like this when I am having friends over. When everyone arrived the dish was roasting in the oven and all the dishes I used doing prep were already in the dishwasher or put away. It makes for a nice relaxing dinner where you can enjoy everyone’s company. Roasting meats and vegetables is also a very simple process that if you have not tried before I would encourage you to do so. Russ rates this dish a 9.

Mediterranean Chicken with Mushrooms and Zucchini, Fine Cooking

3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. firmly packed light brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups peeled red pearl onions (6 to 7 oz.), halved if large
8 oz. cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, stems trimmed
2 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1/3 cup)
4-lb. chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces, trimmed of extra skin and fat, patted dry
2 small zucchini (4 to 5 oz. each), trimmed, cut in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-rounds
1/2 cup medium- to full-bodied red wine, such as Merlot or Syrah

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F.

In a small bowl, mix 1 Tbs. of the balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbs. of the rosemary, the brown sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper; stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Add the olive oil and mix well.

Scatter the pearl onions over the bottom of a metal, glass, or ceramic baking dish that measures about 10x15x2 inches. Add the mushrooms, cap side up. Stir the vinegar mixture to mix well; spoon 1 Tbs. into a second small bowl and reserve. Use about half of the remaining mixture to brush the mushroom caps. Scatter the pancetta over the mushrooms and onions. Arrange the chicken pieces, skin side up, on top of all, and brush with the remaining vinegar mixture. Roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the zucchini with the reserved 1 Tbs. of the vinegar mixture. In a measuring cup, combine the wine with the remaining 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375°F. Pour the wine mixture around the chicken and then scatter the zucchini around the chicken, keeping it toward the edges of the pan as much as possible. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast until the vegetables are tender and an instant-read thermometer registers 165ºF in several pieces of chicken, 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter. With a slotted spoon, arrange the vegetables and pancetta around the chicken. Sprinkle the vegetables with a little salt.

Tilt the roasting pan so that the juices gather in one corner. With a large, shallow spoon, skim as much fat as possible from the pan sauce. Spoon a small amount of sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Put the remaining sauce in a pitcher to pass at the table.