Caramelized Onion Roast Chicken
Winner, winner chicken dinner, you know the phase, this is the dish; caramelized onion roast chicken. This takes a simple, inexpensive chicken meal to a whole new playing field. One dish, one hour, one pan, seriously, what’s not to love? Similar to a sheet pan dinner, skillet dinners are just as fast and simple. And although we all seem to have time on our hands these days, timing matters.
This a great, easy meal for families or individuals and it’s equally as tasty for culinary connoisseurs as well as those who don’t want to be bothered, but like good, flavorful meals. The beauty of chicken generally is it can be paired with a variety of seasonings, spices, marinades, brines, and rubs to accommodate a lot of menus, from simple comfort meals to ethnic cuisines from across the globe. Chicken is to many, the perfect protein. And I agree. This dish was inspired by my younger son and his love of both drumsticks and onions.
Why Is Chicken The Most Preferred Protein?
- America’s main meat of choice is chicken, which makes up about half of the meat we eat.
- Americans eat an average of 89 pounds of chicken a year, versus 54 pounds for beef and 50 pounds for pork.
- Consumers love the taste and practicality; it marries well with a variety of flavors, cooking methods, and recipes.
- Chicken is an affordable protein—much less expensive than beef.
- For health-conscious individuals, chicken is high in protein; low in calories; rich in essential vitamins like iron, zinc, and vitamin B; and low in fat and cholesterol.
Lockdown has been extremely challenging for families, but I think it has also taught us something very important; that shared family time (such as at the dinner table), is great quality time. A family sitting down together, to a simple, easy meal, helps a family handle the stresses of daily life and the hassles of our “new normal“, and that is something we all need right now.
Caramelized Onion Roast Chicken
Ingredients:
- 8 skin-on chicken drumsticks
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus a few additional whole leaves for garnish
- 16 ounces (about 1-pound) baby creamer potatoes
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season the chicken with the thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper, set near your work station.
- In a large skillet add the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter and place over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, golden in color and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the sage and potatoes and mix well to coat. Reduce the heat to medium. Now mix in the wine and Worcestershire sauce.
- Arrange the drumsticks over the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan. Transfer to the oven and roast for until you begin to see coloration, the chicken is cooked through, and the potatoes are tender, about 40-45 minutes.
- Serve the chicken with some onions, a little sauce spooned over the top and a few potatoes on the side. Garnish with a few sage leaves.
We made the CARAMELIZED ONION ROAST CHICKEN this week and absolutely loved it. My 12 year old son loves drumsticks and this was perfect for him – and the family. A quick and easy dinner!
Nice. Super easy meal indeed. Noah loves drumsticks so much I have to constantly develop new recipes. If you like these, try my baked chicken wings next, they are another easy recipe.