Tuscan Butter Chicken and Olive Bread

Often we have Chicken Parmesan for dinner on Mother’s Day because that’s one of Wayne’s specialties and he makes a delicious version. However, I had all the ingredients for this roast chicken, (from the special dinners list) thinking I’d fix it last Sunday, but then I didn’t feel like it. So I wouldn’t have to worry about the vegetables lasting another week, we decided to make it today. Fortunately, it turned out to be really, really good! We look forward to having it again sometime.

Season a chicken with salt and pepper; brush with a butter/garlic/Italian seasoning concoction, surround with fresh vegetables tossed in olive oil, and bake. Moist and delicious!

Tuscan Butter Chicken

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 pound baby potatoes
• 1 head broccoli, cut in florets
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1 red onion, cut in wedges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Let set while oven preheats to 450 degrees.

Combine vegetables with olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Combine butter, Italian seasoning and garlic. Brush over chicken which has been placed in a large roasting pan.

Place vegetables around chicken, then bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (depends upon size of chicken), until cooked through.

Let set before carving and serving. Garnish with strips of basil leaves if desired.

To serve alongside this dish, we tried a new skillet bread. This was another recipe I wasn’t positive we’d like, so I did a smaller version of it. If you want to make a regular-sized loaf, here’s the recipe. The one below makes two individual-sized ones. I’m still not a fan of green olives, but it was a very good bread and Wayne really liked it. He also thought adding Parmesan cheese to the dough would make it even better.

Basil Olive Bread

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil, minced
• 1/4 cup green olives, chopped, if desired

Combine warm water, yeast and sugar. Set aside for a few minutes until bubbly.

Stir in half the flour with the salt and mix well. Add the garlic, basil and olives. Stir in the remaining flour until you have a soft dough. (It might need a bit more flour.) Let rise for an hour.

Grease two small cast iron skillet with a bit of olive oil. Divde the dough between the two pans. Let rise another 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle with coarse salt and chopped parsley if desired. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove when golden brown and serve warm, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping, if desired.