My Favorite Meat and Potatoes

Cast iron. Chicken. Spuds. Panko bread crumbs. These are the basic ingredients for my favorite dinner. It’s so easy, which is great when my head is too full of conflicting home repair bids and comparison shopping to want to do any more thinking!

“Shake and Bake” Chicken and Spuds (Serves 2)

• 2 chicken breasts or thighs, skin on or skinless (cook thighs and breasts to serve 4 or two with lunch leftovers)
• 2 potatoes – i like red ones
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs seasoned with generous pinches each:
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Cayenne powder
• Mustard powder
• Olive oil and butter

1 hour before dinner time:

1. Heat oven to 400 with seasoned cast iron pan in oven
2. Cut potatoes in half and drizzled cut halves with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper
3. Combine spices with panko bread crumbs and put in a bag – i use old bread bags
4. Toss chicken, 1 piece at a time in panko mixture
5. Remove hot cast iron from the oven and drop a teaspoon or so of coconut in the pan to coat the bottom
6. Place chicken skin side down if using skin-on chicken in pan. Tuck potatoes cut side down around the chicken and bake 20 minutes
7. Flip and bake another 20 minutes

Serve this with a side of steamed broccoli for a complete and scrumptious meal! Sure to please everyone from chicken finger loving kids to chicken friend steak loving men to … well anyone who likes chicken!

What’s your go-to weeknight meal?