Oven Roasted Garlic Chicken and Potatoes

Have you ever tasted a dish so delicious that you just can't wait for that next bite?  This is one of those dishes.  Sorry that I didn't take any pictures of this last night when I made it, but my phone was dead.   I will be making it again soon, and I promise to post pictures.  Until then, you will have to use your imagination - better yet, just make it and see for yourself.  

I found this picture on the internet to show
you where to put the butter.  This is not my hand.

Since it is cooked at such a high heat, the skin of the chicken gets this crisp to it that is just delectable; a great alternative to fried chicken.   To prepare your chicken, gently stick one finger between the skin and the breast and make a little pocket beneath the membrane (this is where you will place your compound butter). While your chicken is roasting, all of that butter will baste your chicken and run down to flavor your potatoes.  You will end up with this delicious pan gravy on top of your potatoes - perfect to sop bread in... it is scrumptious!

It helps if you have a roasting pan for this dish since you do need at least a 3 inch deep pan.  You don't need a roasting rack because you want the chicken to sit right on top of the potatoes, but the depth is important since I'm sure you don't want a mess to clean up in your oven!  Another important tip is to use regular olive oil - NOT EXTRA VIRGIN- so it doesn't smoke your kitchen up.

This is the olive oil I use.

Ingredients:
Serves 6

Compound Butter: (Mix all together)
1 stick butter
6 garlic Cloves - minced
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon Parsley





3 lb Yukon Gold potatoes or Red potatoes - cleaned and quartered
1/2 medium onion chopped
3 tablespoons regular Olive oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Pepper







6 Skin on-bone in Chicken Breast
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Paprika

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees making sure oven rack is at the bottom.

Place potatoes and chopped onion on the bottom of roasting pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic power and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss together. Spread them out evenly on the bottom of the pan.

Take your compound butter and place 1 tablespoon under the skin of each chicken breast then massage the butter into the breast.  Place your chicken on top of your potatoes.  Spread any leftover butter on the outside of each chicken breast.  Drizzle your chicken with olive oil (this makes the skin crispy) then sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.

Bake at 500 degrees for 45 min. to 1 hour or until the juices run clear. If you have a meat thermometer, it should read 160 degrees at the thickest part of the chicken (make sure the thermometer is not touching the bone).

Remove from the oven and take a bite of one of those potatoes - yes, it is Chewly Awesome!