Loaded Potato & Chicken Sheet Pan Meal
life is hard; food doesn't have to be #84 [vol3, 4.1]
This recipe is from @cleanmondaymeals on Instagram. Janae is gluten free, dairy free and now has a weekly meal planning/prep subscription. Try your first 30 days free with code: NEWMEMBER. I’m not an affiliate, I just like her style. My family likes this meal.
Ingredients
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
2 to 3 cups broccoli florets, chopped (switch it out with green beans)
1 lb potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 onion, sliced then roughly chopped (Julie uses the whole onion)
5 to 6 garlic cloves, quartered
For the sauce:
1/3 cup olive or avocado oil
2 Tbsp Franks hot sauce
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
8 slices bacon
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. In a large bowl, mix the sauce ingredients until well combined.
3. Add the potatoes and white onion to the bottom of a 9 x 13" baking dish. Drizzle with about 1/2 of your sauce, stir to combine, then transfer to the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through. (Julie here: I prefer to spread things out on a half sheet pan, 13x18, lined with parchment paper for easy clean up. More surface area allows for better crispiness.)
4. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a pan and set aside. (Julie here: I put slices of bacon in my largest cast iron skillet and baked it simultaneously with potatoes. Careful, bacon at 400 can burn fast.)
5. Using the rendered bacon fat, brown the chicken cubes over medium-high heat (don't worry about cooking it through). Add the browned chicken to the large bowl with the remaining sauce. Add the broccoli and garlic. (Julie here: I have used fresh and frozen broccoli. If using frozen, let it thaw a bit and pour out any water. Also, I like to use kitchen shears to cut chicken into bite sized pieces.)
6. Once the potatoes are done, pour the chicken and broccoli mixture over top. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the broccoli is lightly browned and chicken is cooked through.
7. Top the casserole with crumbled bacon. (Julie here: My bacon wasn’t as crisp as I like it when I pulled it out of the oven the first time, so I added it, already chopped for the remaining 15 minutes to crisp it. I also had some Parmesan to be used so I sprinkled it over at the very end.)
A Personal Note
A few months ago, I shared at the bottom of this newsletter that my husband has taken a position as a lead pastor in Louisville (at his parents’ home church of 40+ years). Thankfully he is able to stay with them when he is in Kentucky but that means I’ve been a single mom most of 2022. He’s been home 23 of last 67 days.
Single parenting is not for the faint of heart.
My friend, Laura pictured above, lost her husband to cancer in November. We have children of similar ages. We have tried to get together on weekends.
Last weekend we made an Italian feast. It was so good to be together! Laura and I both enjoy making good food. More than the food was the camaraderie — for all!
Please continue to pray for both me and Laura to have wisdom as we navigate this season. An extra boost of energy would be the icing on the cake.
I knew in my head this spring would be challenging. (We will all be together once my oldest graduates high school.) The doldrums are here and it is hard. On Monday I reached out to a handful of trusted friends and shared specifics. Within the hour I was beyond encouraged by their texts, calls, prayers, and reminders of truth.
It would have been easy to suffer alone. I’m glad I reached out. Let this be a reminder to you to let people in. Life isn’t meant to travel alone.
Meanwhile, the sunny spring weather has been perfect for my soul this week!
Life is hard, food doesn’t have to be,
Julie