Rosemary and Paprika Oven-Roasted Chicken (tried and true!)

It's chicken night! Need a new recipe?

We all know of chicken recipes that are so-so... so when there's a keeper, there's a keeper.

And I'm telling you people, this one here is a keeper.  I think I even impressed myself when I made this (ha ha).

The beauty of this recipe is that you may already have the following in your pantry:

*  Paprika

* Crushed rosemary leaves (I like mine freshly chopped!)

* Minced garlic

* Course ground black pepper

* Pinch of salt

Seriously, you can impress someone with this dish tonight. It's that easy.

I discovered this recipe months ago when I decided to do a pantry challenge (to save money by "shopping" by own pantry). I found two seasoning packets by McCormick that had I bought at the grocery store. One was for this delicious Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. The other packet was for entitled  "Rosemary roasted chicken with Potatoes".

Well I gave the seasoning packet for the rosemary chicken a try. After all, I had these ingredients at home and I figure, if the dish was a success, I can easily make it again.

The rainbow of seasonings: paprika, Rosemary, minced garlic, and ground pepper (add olive oil and salt)

Well fast forward to today.  

This dish is delicious!

I've cooked this dish at least 4-5 times in the last couple of months and it's become a hit at home.

I've since renamed this dish as a Rosemary and Paprika Oven-Roasted Chicken because the paprika spice gives the chicken such a beautiful color. The Rosemary adds a distinct hint of rustic and pine that really delivers on the meal.  We have a Rosemary herb bush where we can pick fresh leaves for meals (Buy a small herb bush--it's a robust herb that grows well during the summer.)

Do it fresh: Grab 1 stem of Rosemary and chop it up! 

You can buy garlic granules at your local grocery store, but I used these friend garlic granules I bought at an asian grocery store, crushed them, and added it to the recipe. It worked well!

To start the recipe, use 6 bone-in defrosted chicken thighs. The original recipe does call for the skin removed. However I usually leave the skin on.  

In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp paprika, 1.5 tsp crushed Rosemary leaves, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 1/2 tsp course ground black pepper. Toss in a healthy pinch of sea salt (1 tsp). 

Throw in the chicken and 1.5 lbs small red potatoes (cut into 1-inch cubes) and make sure to coat well.  When I don't have potatoes I use carrots chunks.

I've recruited a special helper to help me cook this recipe (At this stage can only mix ingredients)

Once you coat the chicken and potatoes/carrots, arrange the chicken and potatoes/carrots in a single layer on foil lined baking pan sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Roast uncovered in preheated 425 F oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally.  I usually cook mine a few minutes more for a little more brown on the skin.

When finished, let rest.  We serve ours with white rice.

A tasty, rich in color and crisp chicken meal for your family dinner. Bon Appetit!

Rosemary and Paprika Oven-Roasted Chicken (a.k.a. McCormick's  Baked Chicken with Potatoes Recipe)

* I modified this by using carrots but it's pretty much the same recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 TBSPNS olive oil
• 1 TBSPN Paprika
• 1.5 tspns rosemary leaves 
• 1 tspn sea salt
• 1/2 tspn course ground black pepper
• 1/2 tspn garlic powder  (I use fancy granules or crushed up minced garlic)
• 6 bone-in chicken thighs (you can remove the skin but I leave it.)
• 1.5 lbs small red potatoes, halved (I use carrot chunks!)

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Mix all the seasonings, sea salt and oil in a bowl. Add chicken and potatoes (or carrots) and toss to coat.  Arrange in a trey on a foil-lined baking pan.

2. If cooking with potatoes, bake 15 minutes.  Push potatoes to one side of the pan. Place chicken on pan.  Otherwise, if using carrot chunks, cook the carrots with the chicken (see next step below)

3.  Bake 30-35 minutes long or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes or carrots are tender turning potatoes occasionally. 

Next Steps...

This is a great dinner date dish.  Surprise your special someone by cooking it for them..it won't disappoint! 

Don't we all need more chicken recipes? Note to self: I think I'll be checking out more McCormick's recipes for more inspiration!