Oven Roasted Chicken with Salsa

No that is not a typo in the title.. chicken!! It most definitely has been a while since this family has had chicken so why not spruce it up?!?! I came across 5 nice sized chicken leg quarters and struggled with what to do with them. I did not want to do the same ol same ol, whether to bread and fry it, Italian dressing and bake it.. bread it and bake it.. its all had been done. Something new needed to be done to introduce chicken back to our palettes!! :)

I took some olive oil and place in the bottom of two casserole dishes. I rubbed the bottom side of the leg quarter in the olive oil the sprinkled salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika over it, then flipped it over. Putting the seasoned bottom down in the casserole dish it left the top to be seasoned. So again I sprinkled the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. I then place a few fresh leaves of parsley and cilantro on the top of the chicken like so...

The next step.. optional..lol I had made some killer salsa from canned tomatoes, fresh cilantro, basil and parsley. The flavor once it sat for 2 days in the fridge.. unbelievable. Not spicy, unfortunately, but chalk full of flavor! This is what it looked like after I spooned about 2 1/2 tbsp of salsa on each leg quarter..

Now on to the oven.. I preheated my over to 375, knowing the chicken was pre-thawed, and close to room temp I hoped and prayed about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours would be long enough. It did take about 2 hours for the leg quarters to cook thoroughly. I did check it with a meat thermometer and the temp was around 170 degrees! Success...

The kids loved it.. Both Emma (4) and Tristan (6) had seconds on the chicken!! I love it when everyone including, at times, some picky eaters :)

The kids plate...

The adult plate...





For this meal I served it with buttered white rice, green beans and pineapple... The kids are now on a pineapple kick, so why not introduce them to a fresh one! Which by the way, I love the fact that all 5 kiddos we have full time love fresh fruit and veggies.. we are truly blessed!!

The Recipe:
(from my head again)
Guestimations on seasoning amounts..
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
10 fresh parsley leaves
10 fresh Cilantro leaves
5 Chicken leg quarters

Drizzle olive oil in casserole dish. Next, rub the chicken over the olive oil in the dish. This will do two things, first it will coat the chicken with oil and second it will spread it around the dish. Happiness! Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika over chicken front and back. Place about 2 leaves of Cilantro and Parsley on each leg quarter. Place in over for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check the temperature of the meat (should be 165 degrees). Take out once done and let the meat rest for about 5 minutes before serving (helps hold the juice in and keep the meat moist)

Now try this yourself.. if you don't have chicken.. NO worries! I am sure this same recipe could be used on pork or turkey!

Now go be creative!!

<3 T