Roasted Chicken with Manzanilla Sofrito

Yesterday evening Santa left a whole chicken to thaw out in my kitchen sink. Even with aching muscles after a three-hour bike ride around DC and Virginia, I just couldn't let the chicken sit alone, so I figured I'd pair it with potatoes and carrots in a manzanilla olive sofrito. Here's the recipe below.

1 Whole Chicken with skin (or 8 parts of a chicken: 2 breasts, 2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks)
1 large lime
2 Roma Tomatoes diced
1/4 large onion coarsely diced
1/2 green bell pepper coarsely diced
1 tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/2 bunch of cilantro
6 manzanilla olives

2 large white potatos peeled
3 large carrots peeled

salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
vegetable oil
2 cups of water

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Serves 3 or 4

As you all know, I don’t like bland food. So although I list, "salt and cayenne pepper to taste", that means be generous with the salt and cayenne pepper to give the chicken a little lift. BUT be careful not to give yourself and your family a heart attack from too much salt.

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and coat them with the juice from one lime, salt and cayenne pepper. Cover the bowl and refrigerate while you cut your vegetables. Heat a large pan between medium and high heat. Coat the pan with vegetable oil.

While the pan is heating, minced 4 garlic cloves, chop onions and green bell peppers. Add onions, garlic and peppers to hot oil. While veggies brown, chop tomatoes. Add tomatoes and salt to the pan. Allow the mixture to brown for 1-2 minutes.

Peel and dice carrots and potatoes while the vegetable mixture browns and place it to the side. Add the veggie tomato mixture, cilantro and olives to a blender. Allow mixture to cool for 2 minutes before blending until mixture is smooth.

In the same hot pan, add a small amount of oil. Place chicken skin-side down, allowing the skin of each piece to brown. Turn chicken over allowing the opposite side to brown.

Remove chicken and place in a large baking dish, dutch oven pot or whatever you have in your house to cook large quantities of anything in an oven. Brown the potatoes and carrots in the same pan used to brown the veggies and chicken. Add the potatoes, carrots, olive softiro and water to the baking dish with chicken. Do not completely submerge the chicken in liquid. The skin side of each piece of chicken should be exposed. Cover the pan tightly with foil or the lid. Bake for 1 hour. Remove cover and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes.

Serve with jasmine rice or steamed broccolini and zucchini or all three. Enjoy with two or three people who bring happiness to your life! If you dine solito/a this dish will last for 2-3 days of quick lunches or dinners. Cheers!