Chicken, summer vegetables make great combination

Few things go together better than chicken and an assortment of summer vegetables all cooked so that the flavors mingle. Convenient and easy to prepare, this dish makes a great complete summer meal. It also allows you to combine the best of the garden into a single dish.
The delightful mustard sauce seals in the moisture of the chicken while providing a wonderful flavor. The hearty quality is gained from the stone ground mustard. Mustard is made by grinding mustard seeds to make a zesty, rustic condiment that is minimally processed.
The fennel with its subtle anise taste adds an unexpected flavor twist to the roasted vegetables. The smaller fennel bulbs are less fibrous, but if you have large bulbs, you can peel off the outer layers for more tender pieces. The much underutilized fennel has a storied past. It was on Charlemagne’s list of must have cooking ingredients and was reportedly Thomas Jefferson’s favorite vegetable.
When it comes to summer vegetables, the term “new potatoes” is often confusing. They are not a separate variety of potato, but merely immature or younger versions of other varieties.
Harvested during the spring and summer, the skin of new potatoes is generally thinner than the skin found on older potatoes.
Not surprisingly, they are rarely peeled before cooking. Because they are small in size they blend well with the other vegetables. These qualities make them perfect for roasted dishes.
In addition to the mustard sauce and natural taste of the summer vegetables, the recipe derives great flavor from the thyme — a truly classic summer herb. The onions and celery further add to the layers of flavor.
You might want to make a little extra of this recipe because it makes great leftovers. Simply refrigerate and reheat later to enjoy again.
Mustard Chicken
with Summer Vegetables
4 Tbsp. stone ground mustard
2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 chicken legs, skin removed
4 chicken thighs, skin removed
1 medium fennel bulb, cut into 1-inch wedges
2 small yellow squash, sliced 1½-inch thick
2 small zucchini, sliced 1½-inch thick
4 carrots, sliced in half lengthwise
4 celery stalks, sliced into 2-inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
8 whole baby new red potatoes or 4 small red potatoes, halved
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In large mixing bowl, whisk together mustard and soy sauce. Add chicken and coat well.
In large baking pan, arrange fennel, squash, zucchini, carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and thyme. Brush vegetables with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken over vegetables. Brush chicken with mustard sauce. Cover pan with foil and roast for approximately 50 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Remove foil, increase oven temperature to broil and roast another 4-5 minutes to brown vegetables and chicken. Serve. Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 400 calories, 12 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 40 g carbohydrate, 28 g protein, 7 g dietary fiber, 460 mg sodium.
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