I’ve cooked and eaten a good amount of roast chicken in my day. I like to think I’ve seen it all — from birds so bland and boring they weren’t worth eating to cluckers so juicy and succulent I devoured every last bite.

I’ve discovered two things that are key to making an amazing roast chicken: 1) cooking at a very high temperature so that the skin becomes crispy and golden and seals the meat inside so it remains moist and 2) buying the best quality chicken possible.

To perfect this recipe I experimented for an entire week, flipping, seasoning, and cooking at different times and temperatures. I roasted the chickens of several different store brands as well as a few from my favorite farmer’s market vendors. When it came time to taste test, I found that the quality of the bird had everything to do with the amount of ooh’s and ahh’s it received.

As you can probably imagine, I wound up serving my family chicken every night that week, but the recipe turned out so well, everyone was as enthusiastic with dinner on day 4 as they were on day 1 — and my husband insists that this is the best chicken he’s ever tasted.

So kick your oven temperature way up, buy the best quality bird you can get your hands on and watch your family devour this chicken. Just make sure to set aside 1/2 cup or so to make Chicken Bean and Cheese Quesadillas for school lunch the next day!

Roast Chicken (Serves 4)

1 4-Pound Chicken
2 Tsp Salt
3-4 Sprigs Thyme
1 Small Lemon, cut in half

1. Wash the chicken and pat dry, removing as much excess liquid as possible.
2. Rub the salt all over the chicken — inside and out.
3. Place chicken in a 9-inch skillet with an oven-proof handle. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 3-24 hours.*
4. Heat oven to 475°F. **
5. Place the skillet, without the chicken, in the oven for 15 minutes or on a stovetop burner for 1 minute to heat.
6. Stuff chicken with thyme and lemon and tie legs together.
7. Place chicken breast-side up in the pan and bake uncovered, for 30 minutes.
8. Flip chicken over and place back in the oven for 20 minutes.
9. Turn the chicken breast-side up again for an additional 10 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and allow chicken to cool for 10 minutes and serve.

* If you don’t have a skillet with an oven-proof handle, use a baking dish just larger than your chicken. Though in step 6, do not heat dish on the stovetop — only in the oven.

** Use the convection setting on your oven if you have one, reducing the cooking time in step 7 to 25 minutes.

Unless you’re a vegetarian, I’d wager one of your weekly purchases at the grocery is chicken. I always pick up a pack of skinless boneless breasts, but week after week of the same ho hum preparation, while comfortable, can be a bit boring. Using just a few ingredients I already had on hand, I started adding this adobo preparation to my chicken repertoire and it was an instant hit.

There are numerous styles of adobo marinades from around the world, but this process follows a more traditional Filipino recipe which involves stewing the chicken thighs in vinegar. Soy sauce and a few spices add a ton of flavor and help create a delicious, tender meat.

On those days when you’re looking for a bit more zip and zing at dinner time using just a handful of ingredients from your pantry, try this Adobo Chicken over steamed rice for happy faces all around!

Adobo Chicken (Serves 4)

1.5 – 2 Lbs Chicken Thighs, boneless and skinless
1/4 Cup White Vinegar
3 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Small Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Dried Bay Leaves

1. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl or Ziploc bag (for easier cleanup) and marinate chicken for 1 hour to overnight.
2. Place all the ingredients in a medium size pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Uncover, raise the heat to medium high and allow the sauce to reduce for about 10 minutes.
4. Shred chicken thighs or serve whole over rice.

Do you ever crave the recipes from your childhood? There has to be at least one dish you wish you could make as well as your mom did (and at least a bit more healthy). My mother made a great chicken and rice casserole, but I can still see the Cream of Mushroom soup plopping out of the can in the form of a gelatinous white cylinder. Although, it was yummy, I try as much as possible to avoid cooking with anything that comes out of a can. This is my version of Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole that’s just as delicious as the one I ate as a kid, only more nutritious and a lot more fresh!

Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole (Serves 4)

1 Tbsp plus 1 Tsp Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, diced
1 Cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Lb Chicken Breasts (about 2), boneless, skinless, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded (plus additional for sprinkling on top)
3 Cups Cooked Wild Rice (I cooked 1 cup uncooked wild rice in 4 cups water for 50 minutes)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Place 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 2 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, season with 1/2 tsp of salt and cook another 4 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and the onions are translucent.
4. Remove the mushroom mixture and place in a bowl.
5. Heat 1 tsp of oil in the sauté pan and cook the chicken, garlic powder and remaining 1/2 tsp of salt for 3 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Combine all the ingredients together, place in an 8 x 8 inch baking dish and sprinkle with additional shredded cheese.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Serve.

Every Sunday at our local farmer’s market, I buy a whole chicken from the great folks at Healthy Family Farms (we also get our eggs from them). I like to make a Simple Roast Chicken every Sunday, but several weeks ago the farmer that sells the me chickens asked if I had ever tried cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker. I had not. I listened as she told me just how easy it was to prepare, but I was still in disbelief at how simple her description was. No oil? No butter? No broth? Just a few herbs, lemon and salt? Really?! I immediately went home that afternoon and with practically no effort, prepared a chicken that was about as good as any I had ever tasted. My whole family was wide-eyed as we took our first bites — the chicken was moist, tender and juicy and the consistency is almost like pulled pork because the meat literally falls off the bone.

This recipe is embarrassingly simple and incredibly healthy, but the best part is that it essentially cooks itself. There’s almost no work involved, and I love that I can cook a whole chicken and then keep the meat in the fridge to make Weelicious Mac, Chicken and Cheese Bites, Chicken, Bean and Cheese Quesadillas or Chicken and Rice Burritos throughout the week!

Not only did Kenya, our friends, my hubby and I fall in love, but guess who ate more then her fair share of chicken? That’s right, baby Chloe. She was like a little chicken eatin’ machine, putting piece after piece into her mouth.

If cooking a whole chicken has always seemed daunting to you, try this version. It’s so simple, you’ll have a hard time finding reasons not to. Check out this video if you want to see how we did it.

Chicken in a Crock Pot (Serves 4)

1 4 Lb Whole Chicken
2-3 Thyme Sprigs
1 Lemon, cut in half
Salt (preferably kosher salt)

1. Stuff the chicken with the thyme and lemon halves and sprinkle the outside with salt.
2. Place the chicken in a crock pot (also known as a slow cooker).
3. Place the cover on the crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours (3 1/2-4 hours for a 5 pound chicken).
4. Using a meat thermometer, make sure the chicken is cooked to 160 degrees (the times on different slow cookers may vary).
5. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into pieces (this allows the juices to redistribute and the chicken to remain extremely juicy).
6. Serve.
*The skin on the chicken won’t be golden because this is more of a steaming method, but the meat will be outrageously moist, tender and juicy.

Do you have little time, but still want a nutritious, delicious and easy meal everyone in your family will enjoy? Chicken in a Crock Pot only takes minutes to prepare and basically cooks itself. If you’ve never cooked a whole chicken, you have to try this method!

* Make sure to follow the recipe above as the recipe reflects a longer cooking time then the video!

Every summer I celebrate the return of my “peach ladies” to our local Farmer’s Market as if it were Christmas and they were the biggest present under the tree. The peach ladies, as I call them, are the owners of Tenerreli Orchards and the peaches and nectarines they bring every week to the market are so gorgeous, sweet and juicy, it makes me want to cry. I usually buy a flat of peaches for $20 (tip: it would be $30 if I bought them by the pound so buy in bulk to save $$) and use them to make the most delicious peach gelato, peach crumble, baked peaches with honey and yogurt sauce and these scrumptious chicken, peach and bell pepper skewers. They only take minutes to prepare and Kenya loves getting to hold his own skewer and eating each ingredients off, bite by bite.

Buying in bulk at your own local farmer’s market is a great way to save money and enjoy seasonal produce in the months to come — I freeze this summer’s peaches for the winter so I’ll be able to enjoy them all year round.

Chicken, Peach & Bell Pepper Skewers (Serves 4)

2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Lbs Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 Peaches (firm, but ripe), cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Bell Peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces

1. Place the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Preheat oven broiler or grill to high heat.
3. Add the chicken, peaches and bell pepper pieces to the marinade and toss to coat.
4. Marinate covered in the refrigerator up to 2 hours.
5. Cook skewers under the broiler or on the grill for 6 minutes, turning halfway through.
6. Serve.

Since I had my daughter Chloe several months ago, we’ve been eating A LOT of chicken in this house. It’s one of my family’s favorite foods because it’s not too expensive, very easy to digest and is super easy to prepare with little mess. We’re so busy around here that I like to cook a whole bunch of boneless, skinless breasts at a time, so we always have a good protein to munch on for lunch, dinner or even as a snack. I realized that Kenya and my husband were starting to get burned out on my usual chicken recipe, so I decided to switch it up a bit. I wanted to do something with the chicken that would allow it to be yummy all on it’s own, in chopped salads, or with pasta, but seriously quick and easy.

I love this versatile recipe because you can triple it to feed a crowd for a summer BBQ or simply make some for dinner and have plenty leftover for Kenya’s afternoon snack. This recipe is a no brainer, especially for those who don’t like to cook!

Balsamic Chicken (Serves 4)

1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Garlic Clove, minced
4 Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a bowl, zipper bag or pyrex dish and whisk to combine.
2. Add the chicken breasts, cover and marinade for 1 hour or overnight (I’ve done everything from marinading it for 30 minutes and up to 20 hours and it was delicious every time).
3. Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium high heat.
4. Cook chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through, but still moist.
5. Serve.