There's nothing like a roasted chicken Sunday dinner.  This recipe is so easy, but it does require a bit of planning ahead.  The chicken needs to brine for 5 hours and then sit in the fridge and crisp for at least 4 hours. 

Brine Ingredients:
4 quarts water and / or apple juice
6 T. kosher salt
2 T. granulated sugar
1/2 large onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
Other leftover veggies and bits
1/2 head garlic
Fresh or dried herbs of your choice

Chicken and Gravy Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
Tarragon or oregano
1/2 stick butter
Salt
1 peach
1 leek
2 springs rosemary
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
Olive oil
4 T. flour
1 cup apple juice or cidar

Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large container. Add the chicken and let it brine in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine the herbs, and butter in a small bowl. Season, to taste, with salt. Work the butter under the skin of the chicken and massage it into the breasts and the legs. Massage the butter on the outside of the skin as well.  
    

Put the peach, leek, and rosemary in a roasting pan and season with salt. Arrange the chicken on top of the veggies and refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours.  This will help the skin dry out and become really brown and crispy. After refrigerating, the chicken is ready to go in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Put the wine and chicken stock in the bottom of the roasting pan. Slather a bit of olive oil on the chicken -- like putting suntain oil on a 70s beach babe.  Roast the chicken in the preheated oven until the skin gets really nice and brown, about 30 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees F for the remainder of the cooking time. Baste the chicken every 20 minutes or so. Cook about 12 minutes per pound. Once it gets to the proper color, tent the chicken with aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too dark.
       

Remove the chicken from the oven when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 degrees F. When the chicken has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the roasting pan to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.

While the chicken is resting, make the gravy.  Strain all the veggies over a bowl to separate them from the stock/mixture. Discard the veggies. Skim off the fat and add it to the roasting pan. This is the fat for the roux. Put the roasting pan over 2 burners and over a low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the pan juices and the apple juice/cidar.  Cook until the mixture has thickened and reached a gravy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour into a serving pitcher or bowl.

Here's link that shows how to carve a chicken:  http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-to-carve-roast-chicken.aspx

I don’t care for anything made with mayonnaise, except perhaps aioli.  I decided to experiment with my own, mayo-free version of a chicken salad. 
  

Ingredients:
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
4 basil leaves
½ c vanilla yogurt –OR–½c sour cream and 3 T. honey
Salt to taste
1/3 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1/3 c. chopped dried cherries or dried cranberries

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients in large bowl.  Make sandwich with toasted bread or bagel; add dressed salad greens if desired.

Grown Up Mac and Cheese
This is a recipe from the Neely's on Food Network.  I just love them!  
    Gina: Pat, can you give me a little sugar for these peaches?
    Pat:  Honey, I'll give you sugar any time you want it.
    Gina:  (giggling)  That's my man!

The only ingredient change I've made is to substitute gouda cheese for the blue cheese, as it tends to aggravate my allergies.  But here is the original ingredient list:

4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
Olive oil
Kosher salt
2 cups favorite shaped pasta: elbow macaroni, cavatappi, conchiglie, lumaconi, etc.
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

Instructions:
Cook the bacon until crisp but not overdone.  Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
  

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth.

Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well.   Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes, or as I have done, a 8x10 casserole dish.  Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle
the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Chicken Lollipops

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups crushed potato chips
lollipop sticks from a craft or party store, or wooden skewers

Instructions:
1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
2.     Crush potato chips onto a plate. In a large bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Dip the chicken cubes into the egg mixture, then coat well with potato chips. Spread the nuggets onto the baking sheet.
3.     Bake for 10 minutes. Turn nuggets over, and bake for 10 minutes more, until golden brown. Remove baking sheet from oven, and insert a lollipop stick into each nugget.

Ingredients:
3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1/2 lb rigatoni pasta
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup 2% low-fat milk 
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan cheese 
PInch teaspoon white or black pepper
1/8 cup prepared pesto sauce 
Pinch teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1 garlic clove, crushed 
1/2 tablespoon olive oil 
Salt to taste

Instructions:
Cook the rigatoni according to package directions, boiling the carrots with the rigatoni. Drain, place back in the pot, and stir in the olive oil (to avoid sticking).

Grill the chicken breasts on an indoor grill, 6 minutes per side or until juices run clear. Cut into strips. 
 
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Slowly whisk in the flour  until smooth and the consistency of wet sand.   Add milk gradually, whisking well after each small addition, then until no clumps can be seen.  Heat over medium, whisking constantly, until heated and thick (sauce will thicken the more you cook it).
 
Add the pesto sauce and mix well.  Sprinkle the parmesan in, and whisk. Add the crushed garlic, pepper, and
red pepper flakes.  Remove from heat, and add salt to taste. 
 
Pour over rigatoni and carrots, mix and serve.

Sweet Kate, my best friend.  I have made this pizza kit for you. Xoxo

Ingredients:
1 Whole Foods pizza crust
Mozzarella cheese
Caramelized onions
Spinach
2 T. Alfredo sauce
2 Slices of bacon, crumbled
½ cup of cooked, cubed chicken 

Instructions: Assemble all, mozzarella last.  Cook directly on oven rack for 12 minutes. 

To make this chicken, which you should absolutely do immediately, preheat your oven to 450ºF. Then, mix together 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup  of maple syrup, and 1 T of red wine vinegar. 

Put a 1 1/2 pound package of chicken thighs into a foil-lined, oven-proof baking dish. I used boneless, skinless thighs. Six came in my package, which made enough to serve 3 people. Then, salt and pepper the thighs.  Pour your maple mustard mixture over them, turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated. 

Put the chicken thighs into the oven, and let them bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF. Baste the tops of the chicken with more sauce half way through. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Plate the chicken, making sure to spoon some extra sauce over the top. Sprinkle over some fresh rosemary or thyme.

Ingredients:

1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar, like cider, balsamic, or red wine
2 to 3 teaspoons dried herbs, like thyme, oregano, or crumbed bay leaf
1 to 2 tablespoons mustard, whole grain or Dijon
1 to 2 teaspoon garlic or onion powder, optional
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, each about 6 ounces

Instructions:

Put the vinegar, herbs, mustard, powders if using and oil in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Close the bag and shake to combine all the ingredients. Open the bag, drop in the chicken breast in the bag. Close and shake the bag to coat evenly.   

Heat a grill or grill pan. When the grill is hot, place the chicken on the grill and cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. You can also bake the thawed chicken in a 375 degree F oven for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Note:  Can freeze pre-made recipe for up to 2 weeks.  Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Weight Watchers: 5 PPs