Sheet Pan Chicken with Sourdough and Bacon

Sheet Pan Chicken with Sourdough and BaconDistracted Dining
I sat down to write about fun Halloween stuff…but I am finding it hard to be witty when the North Bay is on fire. I keep losing my focus. This is rather ridiculous because, other than the poor air quality, I have not been directly affected by the fires. But, my mind just can’t let it go.

Events like this are a reminder to keep things in perspective. Soccer practice has been canceled because of the smoke? Big whoop. I still have my home to hang out in and 1500 other families don’t. It’s heartbreaking and I can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu.

I was away at school when the Oakland Hills fire happened almost 26 years ago. (Did I really just put that in print?) I had to watch the destruction unfold on the television in the basement of my dorm, much like I have been doing since these fires flared up. (Well, without the dorm room.)

The Napa and Sonoma County fires have the same “what the heck is going on?” feel. That same blindsided shock—the darn high winds and the utter devastation left behind. It makes the idea of writing about what’s for dinner tonight seem trivial and unimportant.

We all have got to eat, though. So, with that in mind, I’m going for the holy trinity of comfort food: carbs, bacon, and butter. All of these things are thrown together on a sheet pan, topped with seasoned chicken and roasted in the oven. Serve it with a side vegetable (like roasted cauliflower), and you’ve got a complete meal.

So easy. And definitely tasty.

This Sheet Pan Chicken with Sourdough and Bacon recipe is the perfect one-pan family style meal to come together and enjoy while you count your blessings.

Sheet Pan Chicken with Sourdough and Bacon
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients
1/2 pound Acme Pain Levain
1/2 pound slab bacon
6 medium yukon gold potatoes
1 large red onion
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
4 thyme sprigs
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
6 whole chicken legs

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Prep the Ingredients
Cut the sourdough into manageable wedges. Cut the bacon into 1” x 1/2” lardons (strips) See instructions here. Half the potatoes crosswise and cut into 3/4-inch wedges. And, cut
the onions into 1” wedges

Assemble the Ingredients
On a large, rimmed baking sheet toss the bread, bacon, potato, onion, garlic, butter, oregano and crushed red pepper with the olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper. Spread in an even layer.

Season the chicken with salt and black pepper and arrange on the bread mixture.

Roast the chicken and bread mixture for about 45 minutes, until the bread is crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the chicken registers 160°.

Serve.

Comments are closed.