Recipe: Indian Roasted Chicken with Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad

I have been watching way too much Food Network and Cooking Channel lately and have been getting inspired yet again. The roast chicken was inspired by some of the newer shows that feature American cuisine influenced by flavors of India. The salad is just a very simple dish I actually make quite often. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Roast Chicken

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2 3/4 lbs.)

1 stick of unsalted butter

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 whole red chile, minced

1 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. cardamom

1 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad

2 large heirloom tomatoes, cut into large cubes

1 cucumber, cut into large cubes

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence

Small sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

Leave the butter out in a dish at room temperature until it is fully pliable so you can work with it. Go ahead and make the dressing for the salad to allow the dried herbs to infuse. Mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Herbs de Provence, and sea salt in a sealable small bowl. Seal up, shake vigorously until fully combined, then place in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Once the butter is pliable, add the minced garlic, butter, all of the dried spices, and the salt and pepper to the bowl and use a large fork to mash and mix the ingredients into the butter. Coat a 9 x 13 porcelain baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken breasts skin-up into the dish. Coat every breast equally with the spiced butter, using your fingers and the fork to get the butter underneath the skin to coat the flesh completely. Cover the baking dish with tin foil and place into the oven. Cook for 90 minutes. Take off the foil, coat the top of the chicken generously with the juices that have fallen off into the dish, and place back into the oven. Raise the temperature to 375 and cook for an additional 20 - 25 minutes to crisp the skin. Remove from the oven.

Chop the tomatoes and cucumber into cubes and mix together evenly. Serve the chopped vegetables directly onto your plates. Shake up the dressing you made earlier one more time before drizzling over the vegetables generously. Serve the chicken on the side. Bon appetit! :)

Makes 4 servings.