It’s fall: That means cozy (or lazy?) dinners
Now that it’s finally cooling down outside, I will gladly start using my oven again.
It’s about that time, too, when I get sick of salads and eating variations of the same cool things.
I’m not going to get fancy off the bat, though. This is something I’ll ease into, planning dinners and taking advantage of the upcoming sales that lead us into the holiday season.
When we aren’t eating our homemade chilis, most dinners are chicken-based.
It was last fall, I think, when I came home from work, mentally exhausted from staring at words all day, trying to organize them into a cadence while meeting Associated Press style.
Flinging the fridge open, I scanned to see what was thawed or had to be used up. Chicken, of course, and a random bag of baby carrots.
Not really sure where I was going with these ingredients, I grabbed them.
Maybe some kind of roast?
Exactly. Sort of.
I just happened to have a bag of yellow potatoes, so I thought, why not season everything and throw it all in my beloved Dutch oven and see what happens?
Seasoning is another staple in my household. You name it, I have it. (Except for pumpkin pie spice — we use that all year and recently ran out. I just made my own.)
From some kind of Key Lime / citrus concoction to guacamole, cajun to applewood-something, if you want or need a flavor, it’s definitely in my cupboard.
That day, I settled on a bourbon maple seasoning.
Grating frozen butter all over the diced potatoes and carrots, I mixed it all up and then started sprinkling the seasoning.
As I’ve done in the past, I measured that with my soul. It was more than a dusting, but not enough to cause someone to choke.
Still, not really sure what I was doing after that, I put the veggies in the Dutch oven and let it cook with the lid on for about 40 minutes.
In the meantime, I decided to tenderize the chicken, because why not?
When it was time to add the meat, I placed the chicken on top of the sizzling, aromatic goodness, grated more butter and added the same sweet seasoning.
Putting the lid on and placing the Dutch oven back inside, I felt I was onto something great.
When it was time to eat the dinner, it was phenomenal.
It didn’t hurt that it’s an easy, cheap and healthy meal – I always try to cut or lower gluten when I can.
It’s a bit embarrassing to write about this at my age and admit that I never thought to make this earlier in life when I’m sure so many other people do this regularly.
Now making this dinner enough, I’ve added sweet potatoes (which are amazing with brown sugar bourbon seasoning), broccoli, cauliflower, beans and even corn.
It’s been fun to play with the different seasonings, too.
Smokey salt adds an interesting flavor, and sometimes when I want a little heat I’ll (sparingly) add red pepper flakes or one of the slightly spicier options in my spice collection.
Not exactly a recipe that’s reinvented the wheel, but again, it’s just so easy — another code name for lazy, right? — that it’s worth sharing.
Dutch oven chicken
Ingredients
2-3 pieces of chicken breast, sliced lengthwise
1 bag of baby carrots
Several yellow potatoes, washed and cubed
1 sweet potato, washed and cubed
Broccoli, cut to your liking
Cauliflower, cut to your liking
1/2 stick butter
Seasoning of your choice
Directions
With the lid on, put the Dutch oven into the oven and turn on to preheat at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a mixing bowl, add diced potatoes, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Sprinkle seasoning and add butter, stirring after to mix everything together.
Transfer vegetables to Dutch oven and cook, with the lid on, for about 40 minutes or until preferred softness.
While vegetables are cooking, tenderize the chicken by pounding evenly.
Place chicken on top of vegetables in Dutch oven, adding butter and seasoning.
Cook for an additional 20 minutes.
Let chicken stand for a few minutes before serving and eating.
Share your favorite recipes and memories with Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.