Lemon baked drumsticks with Tomato Polenta

These drumsticks are fun for the kids to eat because they can eat it and compare it to a lollipop.  Before baking I smother the chicken in herbs and lemon... so they are full of flavor and the polenta is a good substitute for rice, pasta or potatos.  Today I also served it with baby spinach, lemon and parmesean but it could be served with a nice salad or some other green.

What you will need for the CHICKEN is:

8 drumsticks

1 bunch tarragon (dragon, this is Swedish not a special kind of tarragon)

1 bunch sage (salvia)

3 gloves garlic

20 g butter

1 dl olive oil

peel of one lemon

salt & pepper

After peeling a lemon as shown below, dice into small pieces along with the herbs and the garlic.  Put everything in a bowl with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Scrape the skin down on the drumstick as shown.  Dip the drumstick in the herb mix and then place on tin foil which has a click of butter then wrap.  Place in oven for one hour at 175C.

For the POLENTA you will need:

2 dl polenta

1 can crushed tomatos

2 garlic gloves

3 slices of red chili

1/2 yellow onion

2 dl heavy cream

4 dl chicken stock

1/2 dl gradded parmesean

Dice and then fry the garlic onion and chili in some olive oil.  Add the can of crushed tomatos and the chicken stock and the heavy cream.  Let it cook up for 5 minutes.  Blend it till smooth and then add the polenta and cook for 8 more minutes on low heat, stirring frequently.  Add some olive oil and parmesean and salt and pepper toward the finish.  Done.

Roasted Chicken

Roasted chicken with honeybaked root vegetables served with cucumber yogurt

This dinner is fast, easy cheap and healthy.  Lately I have started buying whole chickens when going grocery shopping.  I recommend spending the money you save on buying the whole chicken on a free range chicken. Whole chickens are cheaper then buying parts and they have a bit of everything, white meat, dark meat and both on and off the bone.  Another good thing about whole chicken is you just through them in the oven and wait.  I often briase them  to give them some more flavor, when braising chicken you can use red wine, white wine or beer amongst other things.  The vegetables are baked in the oven with honey to bring out the natural sweetness of the vegetables.

1 Whole Chicken

1/4 bottle red wine (nothing fancy just whatever red wine)

1 Red onion

3 Gloves garlic

1 Bunch of thyme

1 carrot

3 Parsnips

3 Carrots

3 Potatos

1 tsp honey

1/4 Red chili

2 Gloves garlic

1 Cuccumber

3 dl Greek yogurt

1 Glove garlic

Put the chicken in a casserole, season it with salt and pepper.  Rub it with garlic (which has been sliced in half) as well as some thyme.  Pour over the red wine.  Slice the red onion with the skin still on as well slice up a carrot, into good size piece and toss them in.  Wrap the casserole and chicken in foil so that there is moisture, take off the foil during the last 10 minutes in the oven.  Place in oven at 175C for 40 minutes, if you have a thermostat then the chicken should be at 62C when it is done.

Cut the root vegetables into long thin slices, toss them with olive oil, honey, chili and garlic and salt and pepper.  Bake them at 175C for 25 minutes.

Shred the cuccumber, pour some salt over it, let it sit for 5 minutes.  Squeeze out the water from the cuccumber then blend it with the yogurt and the garlic.