Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken with Herby Veggies
AKA Date Night Chicken with a side of that good sauce
This past Saturday marked my husband’s and my 10th wedding anniversary and although I was out of town for work on the actual date, we celebrated a few days earlier, twice. We went and enjoyed some tasty food at a local fave here in Atlanta, South City Kitchen (to die for shrimp and grits!) and we began planning our dream holiday that will be taking place in September of this year. Initially, we wanted to make this trip in tandem with our anniversary however if you are self-employed artists like we are, you understand that the month of May is not gentle on the bank account thanks to taxes due to Uncle Sam and frankly, when I vacation, a budget is the last think I want to think about so we figured fall will be a fabulous time. We’ll be visiting the Amalfi Coast this round and spending a little time in the Umbria region as well, counting the days!!
It feels pretty damn good to have hit such a milestone together. We really have shared so many incredible adventures; a growing family, many moves including to two new states, tons of travel, and frequent ups and downs…through it all, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner by my side.
This past weekend on my work trip after I posted my obligatory sappy IG post to social media, I received quite a few congratulations. I also got some unsolicited advice from people on how to make it to 20 years and beyond. I also got asked for my own advice on how to keep the love going to 10 years. My answer was simple…communication, acceptance, and creativity. Love is there and will always be there, but as two people grow, things change and sometimes love just isn’t enough. Communication we all know is king, but I do believe that acceptance is queen and creativity is the Jack who keeps things interesting. I’ve learned a lot about love through my relationship with John, but I’ve also learned a lot about myself through the act of being a wife and mother, and I have him to thank…so babe, consider this your bonus Anniversary card that will live eternally on the internet. I love you!
I would be remiss if I didn’t add that I do believe one of the greatest things about our love is how much we enjoy food. It’s one of the first things that connected us, and our meals are a source of playfulness, pleasure, and conversation on so many days. Someone this past weekend asked me if I was cooking a big Anniversary feast to which I quickly responded, “nope!”. However, it did get me thinking about what a perfect date night in meal would be. I went back to our early days and thought about meals that I cooked for him in our courting days, there were so many. Standouts were a themed tapas night, a steakhouse-ish dinner complete with shrimp cocktail and martinis, and the night I made Lasagna Bolognese from scratch that I still think was one of the reasons he decided to put a ring on it. These were all elaborate dinners but if I had to choose one that I’d always come back to it would be a perfectly roasted chicken dinner, Ina Garten would back me up on this.
I think a roasted chicken dinner is a fancy yet approachable, and comforting move. The bonus is you can pre-prep things in advance and roast it with some veggies in the same pan or make a salad on the side and you won’t be slaving away while your lover sits alone. It’s a perfect special occasion home cooked meal that really doesn’t leave too much room for error unless you undercook the chicken, but you wouldn’t do that because if you read this newsletter, you probably own this. I digress.
Grab a nice bottle of white, some good cheese and crackers (but don’t overdo it), and maybe some dark chocolate for dessert and focus on making it an evening to remember with this week’s roasted chicken which is one of my signature recipes that is probably one of my most beloved recipes that people rave about. You can call it a sweet birthday dinner, a dinner to impress someone you’re dating , or you can absolutely cook it on a weekday for your honey. They will love you for it .
The chicken can be prepped the night before, the veggies and the sauce the morning of and all you must do is pop it in the oven when your guest arrives so that you can have time to savor the moments together. When you buy your chicken, tell the butcher to spatchcock (take the backbone out) it for you and you’ve got yourself a beautiful dinner idea to be shared.
If you want to do extra, I’ve also included a bonus recipe for my favorite entertaining cocktail a Southside, which is easy and goes great with this meal… have at it!!! Make em love you!!!!
Spatchcock Roasted Chicken with Herby Veggies and Slammin’ Green Sauce
Ingredients
1 3-4lb whole chicken, spatchcocked (ask your butcher to do it for you)
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