Chicken Tonight!

This is going to be a quick post.  It is almost time for bed for the little ones!

We had roast chicken and couscous with asparagus for dinner tonight.  Easy peasy for this wintery day (by the way, it is now sleet and ice here; safe travels if you are out and about!).

First, I laid down tinfoil on my pan to catch any drippings, then laid down my drip tray on top.  I arranged the two chicken breasts (bone-in) and four drumsticks on the drip tray, then brushed on some extra virgin olive oil.  After that, I sprinkled my spices and herbs (paprika, turmeric, black pepper, sage, garlic powder, and grated some fresh lemon peel on top of each piece.  Into the convection oven at 350 it went! 

Prepping the chicken

Herbed up and ready to bake!

By the way, always be aware of your actions with raw meats.  Use a separate cutting board, and dedicated utensils.  Cross contamination can and does happen.  Keep those Clorox or Lysol wipes on hand; they are easy to use and can be thrown away.

Simmering couscous

About 45 minutes later, I started my whole wheat couscous.  First, I coated the pan with extra virgin olive oil, and let it heat up.  I poured in one cup of the couscous, and lightly browned it.  I had a pot on the stove top with hot water in it, and poured in the couscous, along with half a lemon.  That simmered for about 20 minutes.

Checked on the chicken, coated the chicken with a little olive oil again, and squeezed on some fresh lemon juice.

Searing the asparagus

Now for the asparagus...I chopped off about an inch and a half of the stems (after rinsing, of course), and coated my pan with olive oil on medium heat.  After the pan heated up, I dropped in my asparagus for a quick cook.  I turned off the cousous, drained it, and added it to the asparagus.  Sprinkle on some black pepper, add some more lemon juice, and we have a delish side.

Took the chicken out of the oven, plated up the food, grated some fresh parmesan on the couscous / asparagus blend, and dinner was ready!

The kiddies set the table, we thanked God for our food, and dug in.  Stay warm, stay safe, and God bless!

Pretty plate!