Roasted Chicken, Fennel, and Potatoes with Arugula Salad

Well after I was out of town for a week, the wife and I had a couple of nights together before she headed out of town for a few more days.  She's not going to be happy to learn about the dinner that she missed.  But, that's why we're making the blog, so that she can one day piece together a meal.  I started off using this recipe for roasted chicken thighs and fennel from the thekitchn.com for the base.

One of the reasons that I love roasting anything is that it is super easy and you don't have to hassle with it much.  Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix:

1 pound chicken thighs

2 small fennel bulbs (quartered and sliced)
1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds

4 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine

1 lemon (zest and juice)

A few fingerling potatoes, sliced

Salt and Pepper

Place all of the ingredients on a baking sheet and pour over the extra marinade and place in a 400 degree oven.  It takes about 30 minutes for the veggies and the chicken to be golden brown super tasty.

While the chicken cooks, it leaves plenty of time to get the arugula salad ready.

For the salad you will need:
3 cups arugula
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon dijon
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used balsamic)
1 tablespoon white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup croutons

First thinga first, make the croutons.  If you haven't made homemade croutons yet, you should really try.  They're super easy to make and takes almost no time at all.  Just cut up some bread into cubes and drizzle with olive oil and any type of herbs that you have on hand.  I bought this huge bottle of herbs d'Provence that I need to use up so I sprinkled some on top of the bread cubes.  Place in the same oven as the chicken and toast for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  You'll want to move around the bread halfway through so all sides get toasted.  

15 minutes later you'll have fresh croutons that totally blow away the store bought kind and for a fraction of the cost.

After 30 minutes (or whenever the chicken and veggies are done) cover the pan with aluminum foil and let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes.

While the chicken rests, it leaves plenty of time to finish the salad.  This was a really tasty salad that I threw together with arugula, croutons, sauteed mushrooms, and a warm vinaigrette.  After rinsing the arugula and baking the croutons, slice a few mushrooms and saute with olive oil, salt, and pepper.     

After the mushrooms are cooked, move them over to the salad bowl and add in chopped shallot to the same hot pan to start the vinaigrette.  Sautee the shallot in oll for a couple of minutes, then add a drop of white wine and deglaze the pan.  Add a drop of vinegar (I used balsamic since I have bunch on hand) and drop of dijon mustard (maybe a tablespoon of each).  Mix the ingredients together, but work quickly since the sauce reduces quickly.

When the vinaigrette reduces to the right consistency take it off the heat and mix in with the rest of the salad ingredients.

Viola!  Not too tough, and not bad for a Monday night.