I love to watch Robert Irvine on his show “Dinner: Impossible“. He always gets so frenetic and there is always a mishap or two along the way. I think his Creole Baked Chicken is quite a healthy chicken recipe. It has lots of fresh vegetables and it doesn’t take long to prepare.
Take 8 chicken pieces of your choosing – bone in. Squeeze the juice of a fresh lemon over all the pieces. Mix together 2 tablespoons of onion powder, 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary ground down, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Sprinkle this all over the chicken, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for an hour. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to brown the pieces. Remove from the oven and let rest for ten minutes.
Now this healthy chicken recipe needs the Creole sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add a minced shallot and a crushed garlic clove. Saute until translucent and add 1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary and 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (or use dried – just less). Here we add the tomatoes. I like to use the diced fire-roasted variety in the can. I use two 15 oz. cans. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
Add a cup of halved grape tomatoes, one red and one yellow bell pepper diced with stem and seeds removed, a small white onion, diced, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning. I like Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning and it is readily available in most grocery stores these days. Let this simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in half a stick of butter, cubed.
Now all that’s left is to plate this healthy chicken recipe. Transfer the chicken pieces to a platter and spoon the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with minced parsley and dinner is served!
