Giada's Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Description:
This is by far the tastiest roast chicken I've ever made (and I've made a lot). I recently got Giada de Laurentiis' cookbook "Everyday Italian" and with this fantastic recipe from the book, I am officially a Giada fan. This is really easy to make and it's delish, trust me. In fact, I'm cooking this chicken dish again this week.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (giblets, neck and backbone reserved for another use)
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves


Directions:
Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine the vinaigrette and chicken pieces in a large resealable plastic bag; seal the bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange the chicken pieces on a large greased baking dish. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 hour. If your chicken browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Place the baking dish on a burner over medium-low heat. Whisk the chicken broth into the pan drippings, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the baking sheet with a wooden spoon and mixing them into the broth and pan drippings. Drizzle the pan drippings over the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley over the chicken, and serve.

Pollo con Peperoni

Description:
Or Chicken with Peppers. I got the recipe from a vintage Italian cookbook called "Italian Cooking" by Moyra Fraser, that I tweaked based on the ingredients I have on hand. (I got the book at a bargain price at Books for Less). This chicken dish happens to be the picture on the cover of the book, and it was delicious. It took a while to grill the peppers and blanche/peel the tomatoes, but it was all worth it. This dish is light but very comforting. I must say it is now one of the family's favorites.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 large chicken leg quarters, chopped
2 large bell peppers (I used one green and 1 red for a nice contast in color)
3 large red tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup basil, chopped


Directions:
First, roast peppers over the fire on the stove until the skins have turned black. Place peppers in a bowl then cover; leave for about 5 minutes. This will allow steam to make the charred skins easier to remove. Remove skins and seeds, then slice peppers into thick strips, around 1 inch thick. Set aside.

Next, the tomatoes. With a knife, cut a small "X" at the bottom of a tomato and remove the top core. In a pot of boiling water, submerge the tomatoes for about 30 seconds. Remove tomatoes then submerge in cold water. Drain the tomatoes. Remove skins, chop the tomatoes, and remove the seeds. Set aside.

In a medium stock pot, add olive oil and butter. Saute the onions until wilted. Add the chicken pieces and cook until brown, turning the pieces once in a while. Season with salt and pepper.
When the chicken pieces have tuned brown, add the white wine and simmer until the liquid evaporates. Add the peppers and tomatoes, and season again with salt and pepper. Add the broth. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring once in a while, until chicken is tender. Remove from heat and sprinkle with chopped basil.