With Valentine’s Day coming up in just a few weeks, I thought it would be fun to do a 3-course meal for a nice night in. These will be moderately budget friendly, and as always, feel free to make it your own! For the main course, I wanted something simple yet delicious. Good food doesn’t have to be hard. I have chosen baked chicken leg quarters with roasted potatoes. A nice steamed green veggie or some rice would pair nicely as well.
Ingredients for the chicken leg quarters
- 4 chicken leg quarters
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¾ tsp sea salt (or whatever salt you have on hand)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Let’s be real, with the seasonings listed above, just measure with your heart or just use them as a guideline.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Line a baking sheet with foil
- Pat the leg quarters dry with paper towels (this will help the skin crisp up)
- Brush the leg quarters with olive oil
- Evenly sprinkle the legs with seasonings
- Place legs on the baking sheet, skin side down for 15 mins
- Flip legs to skin side up for about another 15-25 minutes. You will want them to reach at least 170 degrees F
- Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving
Side note: If you want to make it look a little fancier, adding some sliced lemons on top of the legs, after flipping them to skin side, will give it a little flair and add a little brightness to the dish.
Ingredients for roasted potatoes
- 2 lbs red or yellow potatoes (peeled or unpeeled, whichever you prefer)
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3 TBSP fresh or dried herbs, chopped (rosemary, parsley, thyme, basil, any combination you like)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Dice into about 1” cubes
- If you have time, soad potatoes in cold water for up to 1 hour. This will remove starch and make them fluffier). Drain and pat potatoes dry.
- Toss potatoes in oil, spices, and herbes
- Place on a baking sheet and back for 30-35 mins, or until desired doneness
Side note: Adding a little more oil will help make them a little crisper. Making sure the potatoes are dry before coating wil help as well. Sprinkle with a little parmesean and a squeeze of lemon after they are done baking will add a special touch as well.
