Rachel Ray's Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Feta

I get stuck in a rut unless I continuously sharpen my blade when it comes new cooking ideas.  Fortunately, I can turn to Rachel Ray because she always comes through.  There is hardly an episode that I watch that I don't walk away with something I can make immediately with little to no effort on my part.  She makes food that is from scratch, using simple ingredients, and is satisying to all.  

Last week I was going through some of her recorded shows on my drive and she did a simple Greek inspired sheet pan dinner.  Last night, my son C had his friend K over and I decided to try it out.  One of the things I liked is that while it was in the oven, I cleaned up the mess I had made.  I made the sheet cake (found here on my blog) for dessert before this went in the oven so I really had a lot going on and my kitchen was a mess.

I began cooking around 5:30 and by 7:30ish we were eating.  Not too bad!

Honestly, this recipe had me at Lemon and Olive Oil and from there the decision was made to make this dish this week.  I have to admit, the baked feta looked interesting and I had some on hand.  I knew we would all like it and it turns out, K liked it, too.

To a pot, add 1/2 Cup of Olive Oil.  Add to it the cut up Cloves of 1 Bulb of Garlic.  Put this over medium low heat and cook for about 20 minutes until lightly browned and soft.  While that is cooking, rinse 8-10 Chicken Thighs and place in a bowl.  

Scrub and cut into quarters 4 Large New Potatoes.  Add to a pot of salted water and par-boil for about 5 minutes.  She used Fingerlings but as she said, any thin skinned potatoes will work.  

Preheat Oven to 425.  

Zest 2 Lemons and reserve the zest for garnish.  Juice a least 3 Lemon halves, possibly all 4, but I got plenty of juice from the 3.  

Once garlic is soft, mash it with a fork and pour over the chicken coating it all.  Add the lemon juice.    

Remove the thighs from the bowl leaving the oil mixure behind and place them on a sheet pan.  Add potatoes to the oil, coat them, and add them to the sheet pan.  I also added a 1/2 Large Red Onion cut into about 6 slices.  Coat them in the oil and add to the pan.  Next, using about 8oz of Feta, cut into chucks and add to the sheet pan.  Laddle the oil mixture over the chicken and potatoes.  Place the garlic pieces on the chicken.  (I forgot to do this - nestle the lemon 1/2's into the sleet pan maybe even cutting them in 1/2 again).  Season with Salt, Pepper and Oregano.  (She used fresh oregano and I didn't have any).

Place in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes - I baked for the full 60 minutes.  What I have learned is to help with browning certain foods, every 10-15 minutes I can open the oven door briefly to let the moisture escape.  I also spun the baking pan 180 degrees every 20-30 minues.  

She served a salad with her meal and I didn't, so I needed a vegetable.  I peeled and cut into large pieces, 4-5 Carrots.  I nestled these in the open spaces on the sheet pan with 40 minutes left to cook.  They were done perfectly.  

Remove the chicken and let it rest for about 7-9 minutes.  Garnish with Fresh Parsley and reserved lemon zest.  

I served a Baguette - or any crusty bread will do.  With the oven off, I added the bread to the oven for about 5 minutes then also let it rest before cutting.  It was delicious dipped in the lemony olive oil mixture.  

All in all, a simple (cost effective) meal that can serve a crowd.