Go-To Chicken Dinner

We all have a few dishes up our sleeves that make frequent appearances on the table.

So, the time has come for all y’all to meet one of mine: Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette.

The recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis, of Food Network fame. You know, the stunning Italian broad who weighs 90 pounds, rocks ensembles from Anthropologie and cooks while over-enunciating words in her gorgeous and bright California-chic kitchen.

Yeah, it’s her recipe.

Usually, Giada’s recipes are awesome, although I have made a few flops.

This one, though, is totally a keeper. And a bazillion Food Network Web site readers agree. You can check out the reviews when you click the link above.

This is great to make when you have a hectic day, because you can just marinate the chicken in the morning and pop it in the oven an hour before dinner. The main ingredients are always on hand in my cucina: lemons, balsamic vinegar, garlic, fresh parsley. Donzo.

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (giblets, neck and backbone reserved for another use)
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine the vinaigrette and chicken pieces in a large resealable plastic bag; seal the bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange the chicken pieces on a large greased baking dish. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 hour. If your chicken browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Place the baking dish on a burner over medium-low heat. Whisk the chicken broth into the pan drippings, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the baking sheet with a wooden spoon and mixing them into the broth and pan drippings. Drizzle the pan drippings over the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley over the chicken, and serve.