Tray-Baked Chicken

I cooked three new recipes this weekend.  We enjoyed eating all three!!

In this chicken recipe the brine is key.  Subtly you can taste the honey and lemon in the chicken and it's so good.  I hope you enjoy!!

Brine
1 quart water
2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/3 cup honey
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs fresh sage, leaves only
1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

For the Bake
4 chicken breasts, bone in, skin on  (I used boneless-skinless)
2 slices smoked bacon, finely chopped
3 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced (I peeled them)
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced (I used red potatoes)
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh sage, leaves shredded
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
1-2/3 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
A few pats of butter

1. Mix brine in a large bowl, add chicken. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 to 8 hours. (I did 2 hours).
2. Remove chicken, let come to room temperature. Drain chicken, discarding brine, and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Preheat oven to 350*, in a roasting pan, toss the bacon, veggies, garlic, and sage with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in broth.  Cook 30 minutes.
4. Remove veggie pan from oven; pour in cream and sprinkle with pepper and Parmesan.  Add chicken, dotting pats of butter on each piece.  Cook 35 minutes, or until chicken is golden.

Notes:
Yukon Gold potatoes would have been my choice to use in this dish, but I only had red potatoes.
I'm going to use this brine when making BBQ chicken, the combination of flavors would go so well.

Recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver at Dashrecipes.com