Dearest Blog Readers:

I AM SLEEP TRAINING BABIES THIS WEEK. YAY!

And also, whoa. So I didn’t get to do my weekly meal plan and new post as I’d hoped.

Because it is both refilling parts of your night with solid sleep, and somehow exposing you to just how deep your sleep deficit is. Either way, it worked on night one and I am thrilled. We have been following the Sleep Easy Solution and I am working on a post about it because its our 5th time following it and it works. And exhausted parents should know about it.

But in the meantime, I wanted to re-share this post with you since it is what I am making for dinner tonight now that the weather is nice enough to have an herb garden. It is SO delicious, and what better way to celebrate the week we put in our herb garden then this Herb Chicken with Crème Fraîch dinner? Related: what is more therapeutic then a garden center when you are exhausted?

I will resume my meal planning when we are through with this intense week.

Happy eating, and hope you love this dinner as much as we did! xoxo Katie

I couldn’t be more excited to share Roast Chicken with Crème Fraîche and Herbs for the next installment of The Humble Onion Tuesday Dinners. I am hoping that by searching the hashtag  #thotuesdaydinners you can have quick and easy meal ideas at your fingertips for when you meal plan. Or frantically think of dinner at 4:30 like I do on busy days.

This dinner is the trifecta of home cooking; it is easy, delicious and the kids will happily eat it (and possibly lick their plates like mine did). I know many kids have already gone back to school and ours start next Monday, so I am on the hunt for fast easy dinners that still feel a bit special.

As I mentioned last week I am infatuated with the cookbook My Kitchen In France. She shared her recipe for a whole Roasted Chicken with this mixture on top and I was d-y-i-n-g  to make it. I had a package of chicken thighs in the fridge and some Crème Fraîche, and I thought why not just try it with these?

The result? Totally delicious. The chicken thighs cook in a third of the time but the meat has lots of flavor. And the crème fraîche mixture is totally simple but so fragrant and delicious. 

The perfume from the shallots, garlic and herbs is just intoxicating, and when creme fruit melts it almost turns into butter and makes the most amazing gravy. Luckily I served it with whole wheat couscous which was perfect for sopping up all that goodness, but mashed potatoes would be heaven too. (I may have tipped the pan sideways to pour all the leftover juices on my plate).

So don’t forget to add Crème Fraîche, shallots, herbs and chicken thighs on your next shopping list (that’s right. This dinner has 5 ingredients). And get ready to lick your plate. You will totally thank me, scouts honor.

Roast Chicken with Crème Fraîche and Herbs (printer version here): 

1 package of chicken thighs (around 2-3 lbs or a whole chicken, around 3 lbs)
1 & 1/4 cup crème fraîche (you can also use fromage blanc – alternatively, you can mix 2 tbsp buttermilk or sour cream with 1 cup heavy cream)
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1 shallot, finely sliced
A large bunch of parsley, chopped
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix crème fraîche with finely chopped garlic, parsley, thyme, salt and black pepper. (If using a whole chicken spoon half of the mixture inside the cavity of the chicken & truss the chicken). Spoon the cream on each piece of chicken.
Transfer to preheated oven and cook for 20-25 minutes (60-75 minutes for a whole bird).

Serve with couscous or mashed potatoes.

Adapted from Mimi Thorisson’s recipe in My Kitchen in France.