This last minute in the door with no time to prepare is my super simple baked chicken. Turn on the oven to 350º- 375º and then grab a whole chicken.
Taking the whole chicken (minus the paper sack of gizzards etc from the cavity), I sprinkle liberally inside and out with whatever I feel like. I usually use lemon pepper or herbes de provence, but you could do whatever seasoning goes with chicken. Stick that chicken in a covered oven proof pan (I love my Romertopf clay baker for this), and put it in the oven.
While that’s now baking, get some rice started:
2 cups uncooked rice with 2 1/2 cups water in a microwaveable covered casserole dish. Microwave on High for 6 minutes and then on Medium power (5) for 15-20 minutes depending on your microwave.
While the rice is cooking, take a look and see what you have for vegetables, salad ingredients? then make a salad; vegetables for cooking? get cooking. My favorite is to do a medley of vegetables on hand sautéed and then sprinkled with a little parmesan. My choice on this particular night was cherry tomatoes, zucchini (courgettes to the Brits), sweet onions.
I always do my rice on the stove top. 2 parts water to 1 part rice. Put lid on, bring to a boil, reduce heat to lowest setting (or sometimes just turn the heat off) and it’s ready in approx. 20 minutes.
Your Romertopf clay baker is much prettier than my Pampered Chef one!! envy :)
It should be calling to you, Beth, it’s German made.
Meghan does her rice on the stove too, the thing I like about the microwave is that I don’t have to watch it.