Roast Citrus Chicken...

This title actually has a very long name: Roast Citrus Chicken with Lemon-Thyme Gravy, Smashed Potatoes, and Green Beans. Hey - it's a Rachael Ray recipe. Hers always have long titles!

Anyway, I saw her make this on her morning talk show a few days ago and bookmarked it. I love how I got a whole, complete meal with little effort. At first glance, it might look like a lot of steps, but it's really not. Tons of downtime with this one to catch up on your email, listen to the answering machine, whatever! (For blogging purposes, I broke up the ingredients list by "dish" - I thought it might be a little easier that way.)


Just like Rach promised on her show, this smells DELICIOUS... and it definitely tastes good too. I couldn't get my gravy as thick as hers, and I needed way more than a "splash" of stock in the potatoes, but this was a GOOD MEAL. Yum-o!

Chicken:

• 4 legs and 2 whole chicken breasts, cut in half (I used thighs instead of legs.)
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 10 fresh bay leaves (Dried.)
• 2 lemons, sliced, plus the juice of half, divided
• 1 cup green Cerignola or Sicilian olives (I omitted.)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
  

Smashed Potatoes:

• 4 large Idaho potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into about 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup part-skim or whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup (about a handful) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 (about a handful) Italian parsley, chopped
• Splash of chicken stock
  

Green Beans:

• 2 pounds green beans, stem ends removed
• EVOO for drizzling
• S&P
• (I also added some tomato wedges.)

Gravy:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 8 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
• Juice of 2 lemons (a few tablespoons of juice)

Preheat the oven to 450.


To a roasting pan, add the chicken, garlic, bay leaves, lemon slices, olives and onion. Drizzle everything with EVOO, season with salt and pepper, and transfer to the oven. Roast, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 30-35 minutes.


While the chicken is roasting, place the potatoes into a pot of cold water over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a bubble and cook the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes depending on their size. Drain the potatoes and return them to their cooking pot to dry off and cool down slightly. Add a splash of chicken stock, the ricotta, grated Parmigiano and parsley to the potatoes and smash them. Place with the lid on the pot to keep them warm and reserve.


When the chicken is about halfway done, arrange the green beans on a cookie sheet. Drizzle them liberally with some EVOO and season with some salt and pepper. Place in the oven with the chicken and roast for about 15 minutes, until tender.

When the chicken is almost done, place a medium-size pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook it for about 1 minute. Whisk the chicken stock into the roux along with the thyme. Season the gravy with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and a splash of lemon juice.

To serve, place a few pieces of chicken per person on each plate along with some of the mashed potatoes and roasted green beans alongside, topping everything off with some of the lemon-thyme gravy.