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Hi, this is Chef John from foodwishes.com, and today we're making " harvest" chicken on a baking sheet with toasted bread soaked in juice. That's right, we're taking grilled chicken to the next level-literally and figuratively- by baking it on bread that soaks up all the delicious juices that drip off the chicken. And when we add meat and caramelized vegetables to this, we get an incredibly comforting, satisfying, and delicious dish. Let 's start by making a very aromatic and generous marinade for the chicken, which includes lots of garlic and a big spoonful of a mixture of Italian herbs: oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, and sage. We'll also add freshly ground black pepper, a little smoked paprika, garlic powder, a
generous pinch of salt, and then-the usual few dashes of cayenne pepper, or maybe a little more, depending on your mood. After that, I'll squeeze the juice of two lemons, as we definitely need acid to balance the flavors. But it is not necessary to use lemon. In fact, sometimes I use rice, sherry, or champagne vinegar. So use what you like. Ultimately, you are the creator of your own chicken dinners. Whatever you choose, add a little olive oil at the end and whisk everything thoroughly. Set the marinade aside and prepare the chicken thighs on the bone with the skin. To do this, turn them over, find the bone, and make two cuts through the skin in the middle about an inch apart, cutting all the way to the bone at a 90- degree angle. We do
this for several reasons, and they are all valid. This will help the marinade penetrate better, and the thighs will cook a little faster and more evenly. Plus, I think it looks cool. And although I hope you don't do that, if you do use chicken fillet, skip this step. In any case, after we have made the incisions on the thighs, we will transfer them to the marinade. We will turn each piece to make sure they are well coated with the marinade on both sides. When we have laid out all the pieces, we will repeat this again. Just to make sure they are well coated and the marinade gets into every crevice. When this is done, we will lay them out so that the skin is on top.
Next, we'll cover this, put it in the refrigerator, and leave it there for anywhere from 1 to 12 hours. And as always, when it comes to marinating time: the longer, the richer the flavor. But it still tastes great after just 1 hour. And if you're wondering, mine marinated for three hours. But no matter how much time we spend, to prepare the baking sheet, we will lay out six nice thick slices of bread, which we will generously sprinkle with olive oil on both sides. Ideally, the bread should be slightly stale, which makes it well- absorbing, which is exactly what we need. But a good trick if you're using fresh bread is to simply put those slices in the toaster on low, which will dry them out nicely. Oh, and it's worth mentioning that you can use melted
butter if you want, which will make the dish a little richer and more elegant. And once our bread is greased with oil or butter and in place, we'll place a chicken thigh on each piece. If all goes according to plan, we should have quite a bit of marinade left in the bowl, which is why we made such a large amount. Because once our chicken is settled in place, we'll transfer the chopped vegetables that we 'll be baking with the chicken into a bowl-in my case, it's halves of small potatoes and Brussels sprouts. I also chopped up some squash and added some lovely little chanterelles. And then I added some chopped red onion and sweet red pepper. When everything is inside, take a spatula and mix well, trying to evenly and
thoroughly coat everything with the marinade. When we feel like we've succeeded, we'll arrange the vegetables around our thighs. It's not as important with mushrooms, peppers, and onions, but if you can, try to evenly distribute the potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Because if you make a big pile in one place, they may not cook as evenly as those laid out separately. Since I want the vegetables to roast and caramelize well, I cut them into fairly small pieces. But if you don't want them to bake so much, you can just cut them into larger pieces. Although for a dish like this, I think it's always better to be safe and make sure everything is well cooked until soft. So be careful not to cut too large. That's all.
Now you can put this in the top part of the oven, preheated to 230°C, for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are caramelized- I hope it turns out like this. I knew my chicken was ready because I just felt it. But we definitely need to check the potatoes to make sure they are soft. If the chicken is already done and the vegetables need a little more time, simply place the chicken on a plate and put the baking sheet back in the oven for a few more minutes. But since everything was perfect, I finished the dish with sliced cherry tomatoes, which are of course optional, as is everything in this recipe.
These little cool bursts of sweet, savory juice create a wonderful contrast with roasted vegetables, rich meats, and, of course, juice-soaked croutons. Finally, I drizzled everything with olive oil for a special accent. And then sprinkled fresh chopped Italian parsley on top. And my chicken on a baking sheet with vegetables on juicy bread was ready to serve. So I took a spatula and spread everything out on plates, not forgetting to add more baked potatoes and vegetables. Notice how dry and clean the baking sheet remains. Usually you see a lot of chicken fat and juices on the baking sheet, but not this time, because the bread soaked up every drop. If desired,
you can serve this dish with chicken gravy or simply drizzle with lemon juice. But as far as I'm concerned, she doesn't need anything else. When you taste the chicken with a piece of bread, you realize that this bread, soaked in juice, is the real sauce. And it 's not just the flavors that are incredible, but also the textures. The edges and bottom of the bread are slightly crispy, but the inside is very soft, moist, and custard-like. Chicken with baked vegetables would be fantastic on its own, but with this bread, everything becomes simply incredible. Oh, and make sure you distribute everything correctly. Every piece of chicken should be eaten with a piece of bread. So please plan everything in advance. Oh, and as you may know, in my videos I usually ignore
vegetable side dishes and focus on the main ingredients. But here it was practically impossible. Because those roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and squash were simply incredible after being tossed with the marinade before baking. So I especially like this part of the technique. And because we seasoned everything so generously, I did n't even have to add any extra salt to the vegetables. So, this marinade is worth adopting. And the light toasted flavor of onion and pepper adds a subtle bitterness that, as always, enhances other flavors. So, to sum up, I liked everything. Especially what we call toast in meat juice. I'll flip them over here so you can see how nicely they've toasted in the pan. And before we say goodbye, let
me remind you that this is not exactly a recipe, but rather a technique. No matter what you use for the marinade, what herbs and spices you add, or what potatoes and vegetables you roast around the chicken, this method will work the same way . So try this first, and only then start experimenting. But regardless of whether you modify anything for yourself, it's a great technique and I really hope you try it soon. Please follow the links below to find ingredient quantities, get a printable recipe, and lots of other helpful information. And, as always, delicious
