I have decided to give up eating meat for Lent. I know it will be a challenge, but it’s one that I think I can do and one that will also broaden my cooking horizons. Will B give up meat? No. But he has said he’ll try whatever recipes I come up with, so I’ve already started looking for new vegetarian recipes to try and even taken some books out of the library.

So, during the countdown to Lent, I enjoyed some of my favorite meaty dishes, mainly pepperoni pizza and pepperoni bread. And believe it or not, I’ll also miss chicken! That’s why this weekend I decided it was time to make this recipe (pictured below – picture is not mine)  that I’ve had for a little while, before my meat-free months begin.

If you want an easy, hearty and relatively healthy dish that takes about 5 minutes prep time (but 1 hr 15 min to cook), I highly recommend this. Plus, think of all you can accomplish in the 1 hour and 15 minutes you spend waiting for this dish? You could clean your kitchen, read a book, do some exercises in your living room (I wouldn’t recommend going to the gym while this is in the oven), and more! Think of how productive you can be! At least that’s what I was thinking … B and I ended up just snacking (on pepperoni bread obviously) and catching up on our DVR. Watching episodes of The Office and Walking Dead count as being productive, right?

Anyway, the meal turned out delicious and B took the leftovers (I only had one thigh) for lunch today. I don’t usually like dark meat but with the crusty ciabatta bread, olive oil sauce and other ingredients, I managed to eat it, and enjoy it!

Super Easy One-Dish Roasted Chicken

(slightly adapted from Jamie Oliver)

The recipe below is what I made and it serves 2-3 depending on how hungry you are. The original serves 4-6.

Here’s what you need:

• 2 thick slices of ciabatta bread
• 2 full chicken legs (each leg is one thigh and drumstick) 
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• Bunch of basil leaves
• 1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves 
• ½ c of black seedless mediterranean olives
• 1 red chili pepper, chopped
• Healthy drizzle of olive oil
• 4 slices of pancetta

Here’s what you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Get a deep roasting tray big enough to fit all the chicken in one layer.
3. Rip the ciabatta into medium-sized chunks and place in the tray with the chicken, tomatoes, basil, garlic cloves, olives, chopped red chili pepper.
4. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and the chili. Toss to mix up well, then reposition the chicken on top. Bake in the oven, turning the chicken after 30 minutes.
5. Cook for another 30 minutes and then add the pancetta on top of the chicken.
6. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and falling off the bone.
7. Serve with a side salad and perhaps some more ciabatta bread!