As much as I love spending hours in the kitchen creating new recipes, some days’ time is just not on my side, especially on weeknights. In my family we all work during the week that means that by the time we get home it’s about 5pm and no one wants to wait around for hours until dinner is ready. For that reason, I think that it is very important to prepare your weekly menu in advance. That means doing your groceries over the weekend and prepping what you can to make your life easier for the week to come. If you want to enjoy good meals but also stay healthy, meal prepping is a great way of doing so. This recipe was created with that in mind. There is nothing better than coming home to prepped food that you just need to throw in the oven and eat. The work for this one is all done the night before. This easy roasted balsamic chicken drumsticks and veggie dinner is simple, delicious and quite quick to make. This is my healthy version of “fast food”. Oh and trust me this meal is packed full of flavor.
Here is how this simple roasted dinner is made:
These first few steps will be done the night before. In a small bowl, place the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, whole grain mustard, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Whisk until combine.
Next, place in a large Ziploc bag, the chicken drumsticks, and marinade mixture. Remove the air from the bag and zip the bag shut. Give the bag a good shake to evenly coat all the chicken. Place flat in the fridge. I also recommend chopping and washing all your veggies the night before and placing them in an airtight container. This will ensure that your dinner will be on the table in no time.
The next morning before you leave for work, give the bag a quick flip to make sure that the chicken is evenly marinated on all sides.
Once you are ready to make dinner, preheat your oven to 420F and spray a large rimed cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Scatter your veggies evenly all over the cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and add the salt and pepper. Give the vegetables a quick toss with a spatula to even out the olive oil a bit. This does not need to be perfect.
Next, place the chicken drumsticks around the cookie sheet wedging them into the vegetables. Evenly pour the marinade over the chicken and vegetables focusing on coating the chicken. Once roasted, the marinade will become a delicious glaze type sauce over the chicken and vegetables.
Bake until your chicken is fully cooked and the veggies are nice and roasted. This should take about 35 minutes. In the meantime, I like to cook up some plain rice. I like to serve the roasted chicken and vegetables on a bed of rice, spooning over some of the sauce and finishing it off with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Enjoy!
ROASTED BALSAMIC CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1/4 cup fresh prasley , chopped
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Other ingredients
- 14-16 chicken drumsticks , skinless
- 4 cup butternut squash , cubed
- 1 large red bell pepper , chopped into 1 inch squares
- 1 large head of broccoli , cut into bite sized florets
- 2 cups mushrooms , halved
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- pinch black pepper
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley , for garnish
Instructions
The night before:
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, whole grain mustard, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
-
Place in a large Ziploc bag the chicken drumsticks, and marinade mixture. Remove the air from the bag and zip the bag shut. Give the bag a good shake to evenly coat all the chicken. Place flat in the fridge.
-
Wash and chop all your vegetables the night before and place them in an airtight container. This will ensure that your dinner will be on the table in no time.
The day you are ready to serve
-
Before you leave for work or what not, give the bag a quick flip to make sure that the chicken is evenly marinated on all sides.
-
Once you are ready to make dinner, preheat your oven to 420F.
-
Spray a large rimed cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
-
Scatter your vegeables evenly all over the cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and add the salt and pepper. Give the vegetables a quick toss with a spatula to even out the olive oil a bit. This does not need to be perfect.
-
Place the chicken drumsticks around the cookie sheet wedging them into the vegetables.
-
Evenly pour the marinade over the chicken and vegetables focusing on coating the chicken. Once roasted, the marinade will become a delicious glaze type sauce over the chicken and vegetables.
-
Bake until your chicken is fully cooked and the veggies are nice and roasted. This should take about 35 minutes.
-
In the meantime, I like to cook up some plain rice.
-
Serve the roasted chicken and vegetables on a bed of rice, spooning over some of the sauce and finishing it off with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
-
Enjoy!