Fool-Proof Roasted Rosemary Chicken legs/thighs

I love this recipe--it is so easy and always turns out perfectly!  I share it with you so that you can smell the fragrance of rosemary wafting through your home, and then sit down to this delicious meal.

I use chickens that have been raised outdoors, able to eat bugs, worms and grass.  Their meat has more nutrients.  Don't buy chickens that have been fed a vegetarian diet!!  This usually means soy and corn, both of which have been genetically modified (unless certified organic by a reputable agency).  Believe it or not, chickens are omnivores, like humans.  Feeding them a vegetarian diet grows unhealthy birds.  And please don't buy chickens that have been raised in large factory conditions, fed a diet that is unnatural to them, with the lights on 24 hours per day to shorten their growing time, beaks clipped so they won't peck each other, and treated like a commodity.


Ingredients:
2 bone-in, skin on legs and thighs (could also use one-half chicken or 2 breasts)  approx. 1 1/2 lb.
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 stems of fresh rosemary (or your herb of choice)
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Grease casserole with butter or chicken fat
Rinse chicken and place in a casserole, sprinkle with salt and pepper and all the rosemary needles that you have peeled off the stems.  May also sprinkle rosemary under the chicken.
Place chicken in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

The result:

• perfectly cooked, crisp skin
• moist and flavorful meat
• amazing aroma!!!

Commentary:  When I am cooking for myself or one other, I always use leg and thigh cuts of the chicken.  And I always cook with the skin on.

First, let's talk about the skin.  Nutritional analysis of chicken with the skin vs skinless shows that the amount of Vitamin A is 3 to 4 times higher with the skin than without, depending on whether it is dark meat or white meat.  So you are getting extra nutrition and the fabulous flavor of crisp, delectable chicken skin.  For those of you who try to avoid fat, that will be the topic of my next blog.

Why dark meat instead of white?  Dark meat has more fat!  And with the fat comes the fat-soluble vitamins.  A, D, E, K are the fat soluble vitamins.  Vitamin A in particular comes with the fat and skin of chickens, as well as vitamin D.  When you eat fat with your meal, you feel sated.  Fat gives you that feeling of fullness and satisfaction, so you are less likely to reach for the cookies and ice cream after dinner.

Another reason to use my purchasing power to buy dark meat--the public's paranoia about fat and desire for low-fat white meat has led to the hybridization of chickens over time.  This has led to chickens that have breasts so large that it's hard for the chicken to hold itself up, and their legs often break because they aren't strong enough to support the breasts.  I say, if we all were to start asking for the dark meat again (and lets face it, the dark meat is so tasty!!), maybe we could be a part of the solution to the inhumane breeding and living conditions of these birds.

If you try this recipe, check back and leave a comment.  I'd love to hear what you think of it!!