Oregano and Parsley Chicken

(Choose either whole chicken, chicken breasts, chicken drumsticks, or chicken legs.)

I really don't recommend eating anything spicy on a day when your IBD symptoms are active, let alone when you are flared-up. But, herbs should be fine. I used to buy BBQ chickens at the grocery store often for convenience, but always paid the price afterwards. So, now I cook my chicken in my own mixture that does not include any type of spices; just herbs as well as salt and pepper. I make use of the broth for side dishes, then use the leftover liquid to make myself a basic soup, or cook couscous with it rather than water to add a bit of flavour.

Ingredients:

-1 whole chicken (unfrozen)
-2 big carrots, or 1 340g bag of baby carrots 1 zucchini (green or yellow)
-4 big potatoes
-1/8 cup (30 ml) of dry parsley
-1/8 cup (30 ml) of dry oregano

-1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt
-1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper 1/3 cup (80 ml) of olive oil
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of balsamic vinegar

Recipe and cooking instructions:

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Place the unfrozen whole chicken in a roasting pan. If you want all the skin to become crispy (I personally prefer this), place the chicken on a grill rack above the pan after taking care of the vegetables. Please note that you might have a hard time digesting the skin when it is crispy though, so not recommended when you are flared-up.

-Peel and cut 2 carrots into thin slices (or use the content of the bag of baby carrots), and place them in the pan. -Peel and cut 4 potatoes, and place them in the pan.

-Cut the zucchini into thin slices and place them in the pan.

-Add water until the vegetables are fully covered.

-Mix 1/8 cup (30 ml) of dry parsley, 1/8 cup (30 ml) of dry oregano, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper, 1/3 cup (80 ml) of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.

-If you have chosen to have crispy skin, now is the time to place the grill rack over the pan and place the chicken on it.

-Pour the prepared seasoning mix onto the chicken, spreading it everywhere with a brush or spoon, and let some of it fall into the vegetable water. When your whole chicken is completely covered, pour the leftover mixture into the water with the vegetables.

-Carefully place the heavy pan on the middle rack of the oven.

-Cook for 3 hours, verifying the water level every 20-30 minutes to make sure the vegetables are still covered. Add water when needed.

-When the chicken is ready, take the pan out of the oven using oven mitts, turn the oven off, and place the chicken on a plate or cutting board to cut; separate the 2 breasts, 2 wings, and 2 drumsticks. (Save the bones and chicken pieces to make soup. See recipe.)

-Serve the chicken with the vegetables, and add broth on individual plates to add flavour. (Save the leftover broth to make soup or add flavour to side dishes.)

Chicken Breast Meal

Ingredients:

-4 chicken breasts (unfrozen)
-2 big carrots, or 1 340g bag of baby carrots 1 zucchini (green or yellow)
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry parsley
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry oregano
-1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt
-1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper 1/3 cup (80 ml) of olive oil
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of balsamic vinegar

For the suggested side dish:

-4 potatoes, 2 cups of white rice, or 1/2 a 340g box of couscous-not whole wheat!

Recipe and cooking instructions:

-Mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry parsley, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry oregano, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper, 1/3 cup (80 ml) of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of balsamic vinegar in a pan.

-Place the unfrozen chicken breasts in the pan, turning them over so that each side is covered in the seasoning mix.

-Although you can cook the chicken right away, it tastes better if you let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator. The chicken is less dry too.

-When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Peel and cut 2 carrots into thin slices (or use the content of the bag of baby carrots), and place them in the pan with the chicken.

-Cut the zucchini into thin slices and place them in the pan.

-Add water until the vegetables are fully covered.

-Put the pan in the oven on the middle rack.

-Cook for 1 hour, verifying the water level after 30 minutes to make sure the vegetables are still covered. Add water if needed. Also, turn the chicken breasts over using tongs.

-When the chicken is ready, take the pan out of the oven using oven mitts and turn the oven off. (You can test to see if the chicken is ready by putting a breast on a plate and cutting into the centre of the meat. If the inside is still a shade of pink, continue to cook!)

Suggestion: Serve the cooked chicken and vegetables with white rice, or mashed potatoes, adding some broth to the prepared rice or potatoes for flavour. You can also cook couscous in broth rather than water to make it more flavourful.

(Save any leftover broth to make soup-see recipe, or to cook couscous another time for better flavour.)

Ingredients:

-8 chicken drumsticks (unfrozen)
-2 big carrots, or 1 340g bag of baby carrots 1 zucchini (green or yellow)
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry parsley
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry oregano
-1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt
-1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper 1/3 cup (80 ml) of olive oil
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of balsamic vinegar

For suggested side dish:

-4 potatoes, 2 cups of white rice, or half a 340g box of couscous-not whole wheat!

Recipe and cooking instructions:

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry parsley, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry oregano, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper, 1/3 cup (80 ml) of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of balsamic vinegar in a pan.

-Place the unfrozen chicken drumsticks in the pan, rolling them in the seasoning mixture to make sure each piece is fully covered.

-Peel and cut 2 carrots into thin slices (or use the content of the bag of baby carrots), and place them in the pan with the chicken.

-Cut the zucchini into thin slices and place them in the pan.

-Add water into the pan until the chicken and vegetables are fully covered.

-Place the pan in the oven on the medium rack.

-Cook for 1 hour, verifying the water level after 30 minutes to make sure the vegetables are still covered. Add water if needed. Also, turn the chicken drumsticks over with tongs and stir the vegetables.

-When the chicken is ready, take the pan out of the oven using oven mitts and turn the oven off. (You can test to see if the chicken is ready by putting a drumstick on a plate and cutting into the meat. If the inside is still a shade of pink, continue to cook!)

Suggestion: Serve the cooked chicken and vegetables with mashed potatoes or white rice, adding the broth from the pan to the prepared rice or potatoes for flavour. You can also cook couscous in broth rather than water to make it more flavourful.

(If you have any leftover broth, save it to make soup-see recipe, or to cook couscous another time for better flavour.)

Ingredients:

-4 chicken legs (unfrozen)
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry parsley
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry oregano
-1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt
-1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper 1/3 cup (80 ml) of olive oil
-1 tablespoon (15 ml) of balsamic vinegar

For suggested side dishes:

-2 big carrots, or 1 340g bag of baby carrots
-2 zucchinis (1 green and 1 yellow, or two of the same colour.)

-4 potatoes, 2 cups of white rice, or 1/2 a 340g box of couscous-not whole wheat!

Recipe and cooking instructions:

-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry parsley, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of dry oregano, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of salt, 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of ground black pepper, 1/3 cup (80 ml) of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of balsamic vinegar in a pan.

-Place the unfrozen chicken legs in the pan, turning them over a few times so that each side is covered in the seasoning mix.

-The legs must lastly be placed so that the skin is exposed, not facing the inside of the pan.

-Add water until the chicken is half covered. The skin must remain exposed for it to become crispy. (It may be hard to digest crispy skin when flared-up or on a bad day, so cover the entire chicken legs with water if you don't want crispy skin.)

-Put the pan in the oven on the middle rack.

-Cook for 1 1/2 hours, verifying the water level after 30 minutes to make sure it has not all evaporated. Add water if needed. (Remember to keep the chicken skin uncovered for it to be crispy, and covered if you don't want crispy skin.)

-When the chicken is ready, take the pan out of the oven using oven mitts, and turn the oven off. (You can test to see if the chicken is ready by putting a leg on a plate and cutting into the centre of the meat. If the inside is still a shade of pink, continue to cook!)

Suggestion: Serve the chicken with a mix of boiled carrots and zucchini slices plus white rice or mashed potatoes, adding some broth to the prepared rice or potatoes for flavour. You can also cook couscous in broth rather than water to make it more flavourful.

(If you made the legs to have non crispy skin, save the leftover broth to make soup-see recipe, or to cook couscous another time for better flavour.)