Hands down the best chicken of my life!

I just made the most mouth watering dish I think I have ever tasted. Very simple and easy to make too.

It was the Ham and Cheddar Chicken Rolls from Chef at Home. Simply amazing! This will definitely make the favorites list in my home.

Here's the recipe:

Yum Factor: 10/10

Difficulty Factor: 9/10 (I actually had trouble flattening the chicken enough!)

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• Sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 8 slices deli ham
• 8 thin slices cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°.
2. Layer two pieces of plastic wrap on top of each other. Fold them in half, open and place a chicken breast near the fold. Fold over the plastic wrap covering the meat then gently pound and flatten the breasts using a rolling pin, meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy pot. Season the chicken, then spread a thin layer of Dijon over each piece. Lay two slices of ham and two slices of cheddar on each breast. Roll them up tightly.
3. Sauté the onions with the oil, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until they are lightly browned and golden. Place the chicken rolls on top of the onions in the pan or transfer to another baking pan, cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the rolls are cooked through. You may serve them whole with a scoop of the onions or slice each one into several ‘rounds’ and present them on a bed of the onions.

Future Changes: I had some trouble flattening the chicken enough so my rolls sort of fell apart. Still tasted great though. Never tried the spinach sauce but will next time!

Savory Roast Chicken

I had quite possibly one of the most delicious roast chicken dinners ever on the weekend. So good in fact that I wanted to share this recipe. I almost wanted to quit when I opened up the whole chicken and found a head and feet inside! I guess asians find it a delicacy. With that lovely picture in your mind, the rest turned out much better though.

Yum Factor: 10/10

Difficulty Factor: 7/10 (a bit of prep but not too bad)

Here's the recipe:

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs

1 lemon, halved

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges

Olive oil METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top. 3. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminium foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables. Note: I also made a delicious gravy from the leftovers here Changes: I couldn't find fennel so used celery as a substitute. I also used some lemon thyme but I did find it a bit too lemony.

The Most Delicious and Simple Snack Ever!

I was watching Chef at Home the other night and saw Michael Smith make this very simple snack. I thought he was crazy for sure. Watermelon with salt and pepper and olive oil? Trust me, you have to try it. The savory and sweet round this out nicely. I love it!

Here's the recipe:

Yummy Factor: 10/10

Difficulty Factor: 1/10

Salt & Pepper Watermelon

Half a watermelon, cut into large cubes
A generous splash or two of your best olive oil
A sprinkle or two of salt and pepper

Toss the watermelon with the olive oil and lots of salt and pepper.