BLT Chicken-yet another $5 Friday meal

mmm-yoso!!! is this blog.  Just a diary of food that we eat.  By "we", I mean Kirk and ed(from Yuma) and sometimes Miz Ducky and sometimes Omar and even sometimes me, Cathy.  Today, another meal made at home with food on sale.

Hello again.  It is Friday and time to get another recipe. This one is *so* easy and *so* inexpensive and *so* good. 

I try to make most of my recipes easy to cook and be tasty and to make the ingredients easy to remember.  BLT: Butter, lemon (or lime) and tarragon.

Chicken is on sale for 69¢/lb at Vons (with your club card),  This 6 pounder was ~$4.  Lemons are not on sale, but I bought one anyhow.  One whole stick of butter. About 1/4 cup of dried tarragon, (1/2 cup fresh) which was 30¢ when bought by the pound at Henry's.

Melt the butter, squeeze a whole lemon into the butter, put the tarragon in and let the flavors sort of meld-without letting the butter get cold again...

Pour it over the chicken and bake.

I heat the oven to 450° until I put the bird in, then turn it to 350° and bake 20 minutes per pound.  (Inner temp should be 185°)

Photo when it was almost done...

Sorry, I apparently started eating and stopped taking photos.

Easy, tasty side dish.

Broccoli is on sale 50¢/lb at Henry's this week.

Broccoli, olive oil, kosher salt (not as salty)

Slice broccoli into small florets, put into bowl, cover with olive oil and scant tablespoon salt (you can add salt later if you wish).

Spread out thinly on baking sheet, even the small leaves and stems...try to have everything cut pretty thin/small.

Put the baking sheet into the oven about 10 minutes before the chicken is done.

You'll hear the sizzle of the oil. The florets will burn and be nicely crisp.

Tasty! Addictive!

Cathy's BLT Chicken

1 each: Chicken, stick butter, lemon

1/4 C dried tarragon (or 1/2 C chopped fresh)

Melt butter, add juice of lemon, add tarragon.  Let flavors meld (about 5 minutes) while heating oven to 450°.

Pour melted mix over chicken, put into oven, lower temperature to 350°.

Cook 20 minutes per pound, until internal temperature (taken at thickest part of breast, not touching the  bone) is 185°, or until juices run clear.

BROCCOLI SIDE DISH

Finely chop broccoli into florets, stems can be sliced finely also. Put into bowl.

Pour olive oil over broccoli, put about 1 T Kosher salt  and mix.

Place all, spread flat, onto baking sheet.  Put into oven about 10 minutes before the chicken should be done.  When broccoli starts to brown and oil sizzle, remove.

Comments

[Vicki]

Oh, that broccoli looks good! I do that with cauliflower all the time, but for some reason, never thought of broccoli...

[Sherry]

Hi Cathy,
Great minds think alike - at least when it comes to chicken on sale for cheap: we buy it! I bought a smaller version yesterday ($3.30 for a little over 4 pounds), and used it for dinner tonight with leftovers for lunch (along with pieces for stock, plus a breast and leg I set aside.) We did chili-lime chicken with a black pepper-soy marinade. Tasty! Maybe we'll do a blog post about it sometime.

I've been enjoying your $5 Friday posts. Good ideas and fun recipes. Thanks - I'll keep reading!

[Dennis]

Mmm, I love Broccoli! Thanks for the tip Cathy.
I was thinking I should use my convection toaster oven more often and that looks perfect.

[nhbilly]

I wonder if beer canning the chicken with the special rub on the outside and inside would be better? It has been awhile since I've made beer can chicken.

[Omar]

Hi Cathy,

Nice supper!

For an additional lemon boost (doesn't work as well with lime), try rolling a couple of lemons to juice them, stab 'em with a fork a bunch of times, place them in the chicken's cavity, adjust cooking time for added weight and density. Also, oregano vs. tarragon works.

Kalimera,

[foodhoe]

wow I bet your kitchen smelled good, that sounds delicious! I love tarragon. I've roasted cauliflower too, but never thought about doing that with broccoli, cool idea.

[jeffrey c]

An additional boost can also be added with lemon basil. These would have to be added at the finish of cooking right before serving to give a "fresh" citrusy taste without the acidity plus the hit of basil. The lemon basil would probably have to be grown. But since we saw your green thumb ability, that should not be too hard for you to do Cathy.

[Carol]

When I read the title, I thought cool, a BLT sandwich with chicken! Then I realized, mmmmm, tarragon lemon butter chicken! I'm coming over to your house for dinner next Friday! :o)

[ed (from Yuma)]

I love your recipes. Basic, simple, tasty dishes. They appeal to the lazycook in me. Thanks!

[Cathy]

Oh that is funny, Vicki...I never thought of cauliflower. I have done this with asparagus though...
Of course we think alike Sherry! Your version sounds good.
Yes, Dennis- easily this could work in a convection oven and be just the right portion.
I did the beer can chicken 2 weeks ago, Bill...and so did not want to repeat, but you could do one this way I suppose...the butter will roll into the bottom plate before any grease from the bird or any liquid from the beer can though...could get messy. Yet still would be tasty. Could put tarragon in the beer so the inside would get the flavor and it the chicken meat would be very tasty.
Oregano, I have some, Omar. I have put the leftover lemon rinds in the cavity just for flavor, but not whole ones..great ideas. More Mediterranean...of course! Thanks.
When it is cold out and I roast chicken in the house, the flavor pemeates and is so different from the garlic I get to smell for days on end when I roast meat, FH. I gotta buy some caulifolower now.
The Lemon basil could easily be in this one, jeff c...I had some a couple of years ago, but only used it for making pesto. Another great idea. Thanks.
I was wondering if anyone would think that about the title, Carol...I tend to do a lot of three ingredient meals. It makes grocery shopping easier. Next Friday should be interesting, depending on what is on sale.
You're welcome, ed. I think I am reverting back to college days lately, adding some cooking instructions to the basic meals...or something. It is just fun to share. :)