In an effort to maintain some level of sanity (and let’s be honest, avoid having to clean my kitchen again), I’m only going to cook 3 nights a week and we will make do with leftovers now and again!  I had a ton of chicken in our deep freezer so it will be a week heavy on chicken but that’s okay!  It will still be easy and delicious.  Here’s what’s on the menu:

Monday: Roasted Chicken with White Beans served with Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Wednesday: Beer Brats with Roasted Onions & Peppers served with Caesar Salad

Friday: Linguini Alfredo with Italian Chicken served with Green Beans

Here’s the first two recipes!

Roasted Chicken with White Beans served with Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Recipe from Olive & Mango

Ingredients

2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons capers with brine

8 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

½ tsp oregano

8 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)

1 large lemon, zested then thinly sliced, seeds removed, plus extra for serving

1-2 whole heads of garlic cut in half horizontally

4 tbsp of white wine (optional)

⅓ cup of chicken broth or water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp chopped scallions

2 tsp chopped dill

Directions

Preheat to 425°F. Toss beans, and capers and lemon zest in a 13×9” baking dish and spread out evenly on bottom of pan and season with salt and pepper.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt, pepper and oregano.  Spread 1 tsp. mustard on skin of each chicken thigh and nestle, skin side up, into beans and capers. Arrange lemon slices under and around chicken then arrange garlic head halves in pan and add enough water (about ⅓ cup) to come up sides of chicken by ½”. Drizzle chicken with oil and season whole dish with a little more salt and pepper.

Roast chicken, stirring and shaking dish halfway through, until skin is browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165°F, about 45-50 minutes.

Transfer chicken, beans, lemon slices, and capers to a serving platter. Toss the beans with the fresh parsley dill and scallions and serve with chicken and extra lemon wedges.

Bonus – serve with chopped preserved lemon for more lemony zing

Beer Brats with Drunken Peppers & Onions and Caesar Salad
Recipe courtesy of my husband – it’s his favorite

For Brats:
– 3-4 cans of beer (we prefer lager)

– 1-2 packages of beer brats

– 1 red pepper sliced

– 1 green pepper sliced

– 1 onion sliced

Put everything together in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then turn down heat and let simmer for 45 mins. Meanwhile, heat grill and grill outside of brats or fry on stovetop until brats reach desired crispness. Drain veggies from beer liquid and sauté in brat pan until edges are just browned. Serve with your favorite toppings – sauerkraut, relish, ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce. We paired with a Caesar salad and our favorite litehouse organics Caesar salad dressing!