A Heavenly Supper

It's 3:30am and for some reason I can't sleep.  Oh I'm tired alright.  J. still keeps me up all hours of the night, despite (or perhaps because of) sharing my bed.  And of course, naps don't usually match up for the kids.  You'd think I'd have no problem sleeping when the opportunity presented itself.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  So, I thought I'd share what inspiration led me to create last night for dinner...

Yesterday, I made one of the most incredible, flavourful chicken marinades I've ever tasted.  M. and J. were both asleep (simultaneous naps are rare these days) so I decided to get a handle on dinner.  I had defrosted some drumsticks and thighs, so I made up a marinade to brush on them before inserting in the oven.  No big deal.  But oh, the smell as it cooked was divine!  And biting into one at dinner?  It was pure heaven.  On a related note, it would go perfectly with the arugula and goat cheese salad featured on Tea & Cookies blog.  (Just looking at this salad made my mouth water...) 

I didn't have the presence of mind to photograph my masterpiece until after dinner.  Thankfully there were still enough pieces to do justice to a photo. 

BALSAMIC-GLAZED CHICKEN

12 pieces of skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks

6 carrots, peeled and sliced into dollars

4 tomatoes, halved

1 large onion, chopped

Combine all vegetables in a large casserole dish.  Wash chicken, trim off fat, make 2-3 diagonal cuts on each piece and place in casserole dish.  Brush chicken pieces liberally with marinade.  Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours until done.  Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes.  Serve with rice or french baguette. 

Marinade:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp sea salt

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

3-4 Tbsp garlic powder

Mix all marinade ingredients together.  Brush liberally onto meat.