Two nights in a row!!! I typically would not post again this soon but we made the tastiest chicken last night with herbs from our garden!  This dish was simply amazing and so easy. I promise it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and you can literally forget about it for an hour!

To start I want to talk herbs!!!  They are currently my new addiction.  Fresh herbs that is, not to be confused by the boring dehydrated herbs found in supermarkets.  I have recently started a container garden full of tomatoes, peppers, acorn squash, watermelon, and herbs of course!  For my birthday Heath got me an amazing book that I would recommend anyone who is starting to garden or who has limited space to garden but would still like to benefit from fresh and homegrown goodness.  The book is called "The Bountiful Container by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey" http://www.amazon.com/McGee-Stuckeys-Bountiful-Container-Vegetables/dp/0761116230/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310600258&sr=8-1 
Please do not judge this book by its cover.  When I first opened it I thought Heath had gone crazy, but trust me, it's a really really good book.  


To start off I want to talk about the herbs I have growing now.  I started off my containers with seeds (not easy to do if you are gardening for the first time).  I had no idea what I was getting into, and as a result only 6 plants out of 9 remained.  So now I am left with a large Basil plant, Thyme, Marjoram, Rosemary, Stevia (sugar substitute), and Chives.  Last night I used fresh Thyme, Marjoram, and Basil so those are the ones I will give some info on tonight. :) 

 Thyme


There are many reasons why I chose Thyme for my herb garden.  First and foremost it is a perennial (living more than two years) so I knew I could count on this guy for a while.  Also, Thyme is pretty low maintenance, loving full sun and dry soil, it also can survive through a mild winter outside! The soil needs to be well drained though, so before you start planting be sure to place some rocks in the bottom of your pot and then cover them with dirt.  This will allow the water to easily drain away from the roots preventing them from rotting. 

To harvest simply cut sprigs off with scissors.  Thyme is a common herb that is used for meats such as poultry and beef and is also a great additive to vegetable soup! 

Marjoram

This herb is not one that I had heard of before my herb garden, however I decided to plant it and find out what it can be used for.  (Plant to the left)  Since Marjoram is an annual (one growing season) I decided it would be well worth the risk of trying this year.  Marjoram like Thyme is very easy to grow and loves full sun and hot days.  The best part about this little guy is it isn't fickle about its water so you really can't kill it.  Marjoram is a sweet plant and goes well with poultry. 

Basil

 Basil is a garden MUST!!  This plant is used in so many recipes giving them that "fresh" flavor.  It is common on pizzas, used to make pesto, fish and meats, fruits and will soon be your garden favorite.  Each night when I water the garden I can't help but smell it!! (Plant to the right)  Basil can grow up to two feet tall and is also an annual that enjoys full sun (it actually tastes better when the weather is hot), comes in many varieties, and is one of the most versatile of herbs.

Now that you've had a crash course in herbs I'm going to tell you how I used them last night!!! So as I have mentioned before Heath and I have been cutting back our meat intake primarily due to trying to cut back on our grocery bill and also to buy better quality meat when we eat it.  So for this meal we used big old chicken thighs (on the bone....meat on the bone is MUCH cheaper in the store --> 5 big thighs only cost $4.37!).

To start I harvested my herbs.  Always harvest your herbs with scissors or a sharp knife.  You never want to pull at the plant in fear of damaging what you are leaving behind (the goal is to keep it growing!).  For Thyme and Marjoram cut at the base from the outside of the plant to the inside (being careful not to over harvest), for Basil simply cut off several leaves.  

For herbs that grow on course stems (Thyme/Rosemary) perform a quick rinse and simply shred the leaves (taking your hand and going down the stem) in the direction that the leaves are growing.  All of the leaves will be loose at this point which you can continue to chop or use as full leaves, discard stems. (shown below)

So I took two of the chicken thighs into a sprayed brownie dish and drizzled them with EVOO and covered them in Balsamic vinaigrette (probably 1/4 cup). I then took my minced Basil and Thyme and rubbed it into the skin of the chicken and topped it off with two full sprigs of Marjoram. 

 Place your dish in the oven at 350 F uncovered (so the skin will get crisp) and let it cook until the chicken has reached 170 F or more (40-45 min).  Once your chicken is up to temp turn the oven up to 425 F and let cook on the top rack of your oven for another 5-7 minutes. 

Best. Chicken. Ever!!!  Seriously so good, I couldn't believe it.  Buying meat on the bone keeps the meat moist and the Marjoram gave it a nice sweet flavor.  Place a sweet potatoe in the oven at 350 (poked with a fork) and let it cook as long as the chicken and you have yourself one hassel-less and delicious dinner with less than 10 minutes of preparing!
Yummo!!  


Enjoy!!
<3