Merry Christmas, everybody! …two days later. Sorry y’all, I really dropped the ball on posting anything in the least bit festive, between getting a nasty cold a week ago and going out of town for the holidays. I hope you all had a lovely, relaxing, family-and-food filled holiday!
And now that Christmas is over, and we all want something healthier, I have the perfect thing for you.
This Rosemary and Garlic Roast Chicken Breasts and Potatoes is light, healthy, AMAZINGLY EASY, and super tasty. The chicken is juicy and delicious, and the potatoes come out crispy roasted on the outside and fluffy on the inside. And it uses only FOUR INGREDIENTS (besides EVOO and salt/pepper). It’s perfection.
Now. Speaking of healthy, I have a wee bit of an announcement to make. Come January 1, I, Elizabeth Lindemann, am going on a quest. I’m SUPER excited about it.
I’m going to do a Whole30 challenge during the month of January!!!
Well, I’m excited AND nervous. I’m not one to usually do any specific “diet” or healthy eating program. I usually just try and eat according to Michael Pollan’s famous words: eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants. So the fact that I’m going to try something that is MUCH more restrictive than I’m used to is a bit scary. However, due to some recent health issues (that I won’t get into detail about now), I decided I wanted to give the Whole30 a shot. It certainly can’t hurt, and I’m very excited at the prospect of starting 2016 out in a very healthy way!
If you’re not familiar with it: the Whole30 program is an elimination diet. It’s based on the principle that if you are sick or unhealthy in any way, it probably has something to do with your diet (which I absolutely believe is the case with most ailments of modern society). It eliminates all the common foods that cause inflammation and sensitivities- grains, dairy, sugar, and legumes- for 30 days. After the 30 days, you add them back in one at a time to see if any of the food groups make you feel “off.”
It’s very similar to the Paleo diet- all of the restricted food groups in Whole30 are also not allowed in Paleo. But unlike the Paleo diet, it’s not a lifestyle. It’s a 30-day commitment only, and it acknowledges that these food groups (besides sugar, of course) actually can be very healthy for you- if they don’t cause health problems. The Paleo diet, on the other hand, claims that humans haven’t evolved enough to handle eating these food groups, and recommends you never have them. Nope- that one’s not for me.
So here I am, with three precious days remaining for breads and pasta and beans and cheese. And as a person who loves, LOVES food, it pains me to say goodbye to these things. I’m not promising I won’t be tragically crying on January first. But on the other hand, I’m a high school teacher. Nothing scares me! And it’s only for 30 days.
And one thing is for sure- if I get to eat things like this roast chicken and potatoes every day in January, I will be one happy girl! This is some serious deliciousness right here.
Here’s the biggest trick to making this recipe perfect: roast the chicken and potatoes together for 30 minutes at 375 degrees (the chicken will be perfectly tender and juicy), and then put the potatoes back in and turn up the temperature to 500 degrees for another ten minutes or so. This will ensure the potatoes will be roasted to perfection without overcooking and drying out the chicken. I recommend a Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet– they are inexpensive and the best, sturdiest all-purpose baking sheets out there.
Here’s your Whole30 (and Paleo, gluten-free, dairy free, grain free) friendly Rosemary and Garlic Roast Chicken and Potatoes dinner. Recipe below, enjoy!
Rosemary and Garlic Roast Chicken Breasts and Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.)
- 4 red potatoes diced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
- 4 garlic cloves slivered
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients on a large sheet pan- toss to coat.
- Roast for 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken and set aside on a plate, turn oven temperature up to 500, and continue roasting potatoes for another ten minutes (or until they turn golden and crisp).
Notes
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Florence Gillette
P.s. to my last comment. I also shared your site with my daughter who has family of 6 and is THEE cook. I know she’ll love the fresh and healthful ingredients found in your recipes. yumyum and thank you!
I have the Rosemary Chicken and potatoes in oven right now taken from your recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
You are so kind! Hope your daughter likes it, and hope you liked the rosemary chicken recipe!
Michelle
I made this tonight and wowza! Not only was it easy and delicious, it made the house smell oh, so good! Thank you :) Bookmarked at the first bite!
Elizabeth
Yay! Thanks so much, Michelle! I decided if I ever sell a house, I’ll have to make this- never mind making it smell like cookies or cinnamon! I think this would totally take care of it :-)
Eryn
Yum!! This sounds so good!! I could definitely make this with ease one night after work!