Barbecue Chicken Thighs with Buttered Rice & Roasted Vegetables

This is my go-to for a fast easy meal that is always a crowd pleaser, or an nice meal for two. It is easy to increase the amounts by double the qualities. Or making more of vegetables or rice to make the BBQ chicken go further if you suddenly have more at the table than anticipated.

There is always a story behind dishes I put together and this one is no different. I love movies and wanted to introduce some of my favorite films to my adult children. So I began a weekly Sunday Night Movie Night. And what is a movie with a dinner to go with it? The first couple of films there were just 4 of us, but I have a large family and pretty soon the movie night to fill every available seat in my “movie room”. And they are all enthusiastic eaters! I enjoy putting the food together, but sometimes weekends are busy and I have very little time to cook. This dish became one of several I always count on to come together quickly from “last minute” grocery trip to “company coming to dinner” table.

Barbecue Chicken with Vegetables packaged in compostable packaging

Ingredients and Directions

Barbecue Chicken

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees

2 lbs Boned and Skinless Chicken Thighs - look for humanely raised and/or on sustainable farms. Most meats now have a number showing the farming practices. Wash and dry chicken thighs. Using a 8 x 11 inch pyrex baking dish or 10 x 10 bakeware, place the chicken thighs in the bottom of the pyrex dish

1 c Barbecue Sauce - choose your favorite. Cover the chicken with the barbecue sauce. If more sauce is desired pour over the chicken in the dish

Place pyrex dish in hot oven. Roast for 20 minutes. Using a kitchen thermometer press into a chicken thigh to make sure it has reached 145 degrees (or check by cutting into a piece to see if the meat is cooked through. If it needs more time, cook for 10 more minutes and check donesness again.

Using kitchen scissors , cut chicken thighs into long 1/2 inch wide strips. Place on plate and cover with barbecue sauce.

Buttered Rice

1 cup white rice. Place in measuring cup and cover with water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Place rice in sieve and drain water from rice. Rinse the rice in sieve. Place washed and rinsed rice in a 1 quart pot with lid.

1 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt. Add to rice in pot.

2 cups of clean water. Pour over the salt and rice in pot. Lightly stir to incorporate rice, water and salt. Place lid on pot and turn burner to medium high heat. Bring to boil (roughly 10 minutes) turn heat down to simmer and let cook until the rice absorbs all of the water. Turn off burner.

4 Tbls Kerrygold Irish Butter or similar quality butter. Stir butter through hot rice and return lid to pot. This will keep the rice hot until you are ready to plate the dishes.

Roasted Vegetables

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees (can be done in the same oven as BBQ chicken when the chicken is finished)

4 -6 cups of mixed Seasonal Vegetables, cut into bite size pieces: 1 inch chunks, broccoli or cauliflower florets, or quartered new potatoes

2 -3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Freshly ground Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional Herbal Seasonings:

Sprinkle on any of these dried seasonings: Rosemary for Brussels Sprouts, Carrots,Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes Thyme for Broccoli, Cauliflower Celery, Green Beans, Mushrooms, Squash, Turnips, Zucchini Basil for Broccoli, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Squash, Tomatoes, Zucchini

Spring Vegetables - Asparagus, Carrots, Beets, Leafy Greens - Arugula, Onions, Peas, Spinach, Mushrooms, Turnips

Summer Vegetables - Beets, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Eggplant, Green Beans, Leafy Greens - Chard, Kale, Mushrooms, Spinach, Peppers - Anaheim, Banana, Sweet Bell (red, yellow, orange) Potatoes, Squash, Tomatoes, Turnips, Zucchini,

Fall Vegetables - Beets, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Leafy Greens - Chard, Kale, Leeks, Onions, Squash - Acorn, Butternut, Delicata, Spaghetti, Sweet Potatoes

In a medium bowl, mix together cut vegetables and oil.

Spread out in an even layer on 11 x 15 baking sheet or in 10 x 15 pyrex dish. Grate Salt and Pepper over the vegetables

Roast in hot oven for 10 minutes if delicate faster cooking vegetables / 20 minutes for hardier vegetables such as potatoes .

Optional Finish: Squeeze fresh lemon or orange juice over the vegetables, Drizzle with quality red balsamic

Roasted Vegetables

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Frequently asked questions about how to shop more wisely for vegetables and animal proteins