Sheet Pan Meal: Simple Citrus Herb Chicken and Tomatoes ( and a Product Review )

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Sometimes you just have to give in to it.

Give in to the pressure.  You know the one, using the oven in summer?  Yea, that pressure.  The other night I came home late from work and I was dog tired.  I did not want to stand over the stove or the grill cooking anything.  Nope not today.  So I gave in and cranked up the air conditioner and turned on the oven.  Sometimes you need a break like that and it's okay.  Truly, to save me some work in cooking dinner that night I would stand any extra heat the oven caused.

So with chicken breasts in the refrigerator I decided to make a sheet pan meal.  Love them!  You just throw everything on a large baking sheet pan and cook it all together.  This meal was particularly easy with just chicken and tomatoes.  Yum, golden chicken flavored with citrus and blistered cherry tomatoes bursting with flavor!  You could easily substitute chicken thighs, or pork or fish with this dish as well as changing up the vegetables.  It's all good and easy to put together.

For the chicken I used some help from my favorite store, Williams-Sonoma, by using the Williams-Sonoma Citrus Herb Rub.

It is a dry rub that you sprinkle over your protein and can also be used on vegetables, or mixed in with a salad dressing...yum!  Here is their promo for the rub:

The sweet-tart flavors of orange, lemon and lime mingle with jalapeño peppers for a Latin-inspired rub that brings gentle heat and mouthwatering flavor to everything from beef and pork to poultry and vegetables. The rub is blended with California garlic and Mexican oregano, and finished with pure citrus oils for an aromatic finish.

Ingredients:

California garlic, kosher salt, jalapeno pepper, cane sugar, crystallized orange (evaporated cane juice, citric acid, orange juice, orange oil, ascorbic acid [vitamin C]), lemon peel, cilantro, crystallized lemon (citric acid, evaporated cane juice, lemon oil, lemon juice, ascorbic acid [vitamin C]), crystallized lime (citric acid, evaporated cane juice, lime oil, ascorbic acid [vitamin C]), orange peel, citric acid, Mexican oregano, orange oil.

I always feel confident using Williams-Sonoma's products because of the ingredients.  You can read them...understand them, and they don't use all the chemical fillers/preservatives you find in most commercially produced spice blends.  You can purchase this rub at your local Williams-Sonoma store or online here.

So dinner was a success.  I mean look at this gorgeous meal.  I really must say this was the perfect seasoning for our chicken dinner.  It was light and citrusy and perfect for a light summer dish.  Oh, and the heat from the oven was totally worth it!

Enjoy!

Simple Citrus Herb Chicken and Tomatoes (a Sheet Pan Meal)

serves 4

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
citrus herb rub (Williams-Sonoma Brand)
olive oil
salt and pepper to season
2 pints of multi colored cherry tomatoes
cooked rice (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the chicken.  Sprinkle both sides liberally with rub.  Arrange the chicken breasts on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the sheet pan and add the tomatoes around chicken.  Place back in the oven and cook another 15 minutes.  Turn on the broiler and broil meat and tomatoes to obtain a little char on it, about 4 minutes.

Serve each chicken breast with the tomatoes over cooked rice if desired.

Strawberry Lime Slushy

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I'm loving the California strawberries this year.  They are so sweet, plump and a juicy red!

There nothing better than biting into a juicy strawberry on a hot day, don't you think?

Well possibly one thing that could be better is drinking them instead, preferably while sitting in the pool cooling off!

So I grabbed my fresh strawberries and started out making us fresh drinks with a virgin strawberry margarita in mind but more on the slushy side with lots of crushed ice.  Perfect for a hot day while lazing by pool.

With very few ingredients and using all fresh fruits you can create a wonderful cooling drink!  Just throw it all in a blender and give it a whirl.  It's as simple as that...but tastes like HEAVEN!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Lime Slushy

serves 2

1 c water

2 T lime juice

4 T sugar
2 c fresh strawberries, hulled
2 c ice cubes

Optional:  Straws for drinking

Place all the ingredient in a blender. Blend until ice has crushed and everything is blended.   Pour into glasses and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Tacos

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I want to talk a minute about Mexican food.

Oh, how I love thee, let me count the ways!  If you love Mexican food as much as I do, then this recipe is for you.  How great is it to come home with dinner already cooked and almost ready to put on the table by using your slow cooker??  It's AWESOME!

Today's recipe is perfect for your TACO TUESDAY.  These shredded beef tacos are easy to make and will satisfy even the pickiest eaters.  It also satisfies my cravings for Mexican food that occurs about every other day!  Actually there isn't anything better in my book than a taco.  Using a roast gives you lots of shredded meat, and is more economical too.  Add some tomatoes and spices and you have the makings of a wonderful base for your tacos. All this from a slow cooker? Yes!  Oh, and remember that any leftover meat can be frozen in portions to use another day.

We made a soft taco bar that was set up with all the fixings.  It was a quick and easy meal on a weeknight.  Since the meat only has a few ingredients your preparation is done quickly in the morning.  All that's left is a little chopping and warming of the tortillas.  Serve your tacos with a salad or some Mexican Rice like we did.  A quick easy meal is hard to beat, and a Mexican one...SCORE!

Slow Cooker Beef Tacos

2-3 pound chuck roast
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with onion and peppers

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

2 Tbls cumin

salt & pepper
Flour tortillas

Toppings:
Grated cheddar cheese
Chopped Cilantro
Chopped onions
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream



Place chuck roast into a large slow cooker on medium or high heat. Add tomatoes and sprinkle with cumin, salt & pepper.  Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. About 30 minutes before serving add the sliced bell pepper.   

Remove beef from slow cooker and remove all but 1 cup of liquid from the cooker.  Shred the beef and place back into slow cooker.

Serve with warmed tortillas and any optional toppings.

NOTE:  Freeze any leftovers.