10.24.2009

"Om My" Roast Chicken and Caramelized Vegetables


A few weeks ago, during one of our outings to the Coventry Farmers' Market, we noticed a new vendor, Boxed Goodes. Boxed Goodes is a company from the Litchfield, CT area that sells organic spice blends and snack foods. On this outing, we bought a few of the blends, among them the intriguing "Om My" - a blend of fenugreek, onion, coriander, cardamom, cumin, garlic, ginger and fennel. Quite nice for the fall and winter months, don't you agree?

Those fall and winter months crept up quickly. The recent cold snap found us inside last Sunday, craving something roasted, something to make our house and our tummies warm. Roasted chicken and vegetables! We had accidentally "harvested" the teeny-tiny beginnings of a bulb of fennel from our garden the day before, and wanted to try that flavor in our vegetable mix. After looking at the ingredients in "Om My," we knew it would be the perfect complementary seasoning for our chicken dish. The scent of the chicken and spices filled the house with the warmth we were hoping for and the meal was delicious - one we'd definitely make again.

Ingredients:
3-4 lb. chicken breast for roasting
1/2 fennel bulb, sliced
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch long pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 dozen (or so) baby carrots
1 lemon, cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons Boxed Goodes "Om My" Spice Blend, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinaigrette
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the chopped vegetables (fennel, celery, onion, carrots) in the bottom of a medium-sized roasting pan; this is the "bed" for the chicken to cook on. Season the vegetables with salt and drizzle them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the pan with the vegetables and set it aside. Season the chicken, inside and out, with salt. Put the lemon halves inside the cavity of the chicken. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of "Om My" spice blend to make a paste. Cover the chicken with the paste and place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan. Season the contents of the pan with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of "Om My" then place it in the oven. Roast the chicken uncovered for an hour and fifteen minutes (or until the "I'm done" popper pops and/or the temperature of the meat reaches 165). Remove the chicken from the pan and set it on a carving platter to rest. Add the balsamic vinaigrette to the pan with the vegetables and set the pan over medium heat on the stove top. Stir the vegetables in the balsamic, water and pan drippings until the liquid reduces to almost nothing and the vegetables are caramelized. Slice the chicken breast and serve it with the vegetables for a great autumn dinner.

1 comment:

The Duo Dishes said...

Fennel has one of the best aromas when it's cooking. Sounds like it works great for chicken.