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Monday, December 8, 2014

Holiday Roasted Olive & Tomato Chicken



Growing up, decorating the Christmas tree was always a VERY big deal in our family.  Each year at the beginning of December we'd spend hours wandering through the fields at our local Christmas Tree farm searching for the Perfect Tree.  It had to be just the right shape, evenly leaved without brown patches, and most importantly...GIANT.  At least in our little eyes.


Thanks to Mezzetta for sponsoring this article.

Once we'd brought the tree home, which was always and adventure in itself, it was time to carefully unwrap each ornament and hang it from the chosen branch.  Our ornaments were an eclectic mix of souvenirs and elementary school craft projects, so this quickly became a trip down memory lane, each ornament triggering stories of, "Remember when..." and "Isn't this the one that we made when..."

This holiday recipe for Oven Roasted Olive & Tomato Chicken captures some of that excitement with its bright green and red colors, sprigs of rosemary, and just hint of citrus.  Its the perfect dish for a holiday party, a dinner party, or just a Sunday Dinner with the family. The best part about it, besides being a beautiful Christmas-themed meal, is that it is incredibly simple to make.  Prep time is literally minutes, and very kid-friendly, which means more time to spend with the family.


HOLIDAY ROASTED OLIVE & TOMATO CHICKEN


Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
- 16 oz Cherry tomatoes
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 chicken, cut into pieces
- 1 lemon
- handful of Thyme
- Sprig of fresh rosemary
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil
- 1/3 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425.

1) In a baking sheet with tall edges (a roasting pan, a large jelly roll pan, etc) place the tomatoes, the olives, and the garlic cloves.  

A little more detail...add just the olives - the juice can go elsewhere.  And for the garlic, you'll want to remove most of the papery skin from the cloves but don't need to actually peel them.


2)  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the zest of the lemon, a handful of fresh thyme, and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary to the pan.  Toss it all together with the olive mixture until everything is evenly coated and gorgeous.  


3)  Place the chicken (your favorite cuts are fine, I like to use a pre-cut whole chicken so that everyone can get their favorite piece) skin side up on the roasting pan right on top of the olive mixture.

Drizzle the chicken with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, then season it with salt and pepper.


4) Bake for about 45 minutes,or until the chicken is beautifully golden and a lot of the cherry tomatoes have burst.

5)  Place the chicken pieces onto your serving platter.  Then into the pan of tomatoes and olives, squeeze the lemon and stir in the white wine.  

Use a spatula to scrape up any crusty bits that are stuck to the pan (This makes for a more flavorful sauce, and makes the pan nice and easy to wash afterwards...a win win!)


Gently mix it all together and pour the sauce over the chicken on the serving platter.


This dish goes great together with rice, orzo, couscous, or your favorite crusty bread.  Enjoy!


If you'd like to make this holiday recipe, be sure to check out Mezzetta's downloadable coupon for $.50 off your olives!


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And because its the Holidays...we're doing a giveaway!

31 Daily Drawings, 31 Winners.  One for every day in December!


ENTER HERE for a chance to win Mezzetta's Daily Gift giveaway (Yep, that means 31 days of prizes!).  Each day one lucky winner will receive a holiday gift basket full of tasty Mezzetta products.  While you're there, pick up a $.50 off downloadable coupon!  

Each winner will get:
• 100% Italian Estate Grown Extra Virgin Olive Oil • Golden Greek Peperoncini • Garlic Stuffed Olives • Castelvetrano Olives• Pitted Greek Kalamata Olives • Roasted Marinated Red & Yellow Sweet Bell Peppers • Cocktail Onions • 1 Apron (from House Party contents) • 1 Metal Olive Spoon (from House Party contents) • 1 Tote Bag (from House Party contents) • 1 Ceramic Bowl
Contest Dates: December 1st through December 31st, Open to US Residents Only. 

Family owned since 1935, the fourth generation of Mezzetta family is continuing the commitment to bring our customers the highest quality foods available. We source the finest fresh produce from the sun-drenched soils of California, Italy, Spain, France, and Greece and prepare them according to our Italian family recipes in the Napa Valley. 

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Is there a food that makes the holidays "feel like" the holidays for you?  One that just can't be missed?




Thanks To Mezzetta For Sponsoring Today's Discussion

4 comments:

  1. Ohh now that sounds YUM. I love roasted chicken and think the combination of the olives and tomatoes sounds perfect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It is so good and really just takes a few minutes to throw together - I love when it looks like a lot more effort goes into making something than it really does! :)

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  2. My goodness this looks fantastically delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I hope you'll give it a try (if you do, take advantage of the coupon!) - I'd love to hear how you like it!

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