Brined Chicken with Roasted Beets and Potatoes and Garlic Tahini Sauce

Roasted chicken and root vegetables have become a little bit of a go-to for weeknight meals. Chicken is a staple on our weekly grocery list we always seem to have some kind of potato or root vegetable stocked up in the fridge so making a meal out of the two is just natural. Especially during these colder months when comfort food is a necessity.

This dish is a little different than the chicken and potatoes post from two weeks ago thanks to the addition of beets and warm, Indian-inspired spices. Turmeric and coriander are the base for the seasoning on the vegetables. A little bit of cumin adds a smokey note while garlic and onion powder round out the flavors.

I’m using boneless, skinless chicken breast, which gets kicked up another level with the help of a 45 minute brine in salt water seasoned with garlic cloves and bay leaves. I can’t emphasize enough how the extra step of brining your chicken, especially if it’s boneless and skinless, makes all the difference in the flavor and texture of the meat once it’s cooked. It’s absolutely worth the extra effort.

Unlike brining the whole bird, chicken breast only needs a few minutes of soaking to infuse the flavors of the brine into the meat. To brine my chicken, I fill a large glass or ceramic bowl with 4 cups of cold water and 1/4 cup of salt and stir. To the brine base I add my seasoning. In this case, I’m using 2 bay leaves and 4 cloves of smashed garlic. I place my chicken in the brine and leave on the counter for 45 minutes to an hour. You can brine it for up to 2 hours, but just be sure to place the chicken back in the refrigerator after the first hour.

When the chicken is done brining, I pat it dry, brush it with olive oil, and add whatever seasoning I want to use. For this recipe, I’m using a little bit of garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Everything gets topped with this incredible roasted garlic tahini yogurt sauce. Garlic gets roasted alongside the vegetables in it’s skin. Meanwhile, I combine tahini and greek yogurt to create a rich, nutty base for the sauce. The roasted garlic gets smashed and added to the mixture.

If you’re not a fan of garlic or tahini, you can omit the sauce. I can’t get enough of the nutty tahini and made an extra batch of it to share with another recipe tomorrow.

Brined Chicken with Roasted Beets and Potatoes and Garlic Tahini Sauce

For the Chicken

• 4 Cups Water
• 1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 3-4 Cloves of Garlic
• 6 Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Paprika
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Pepper

For the Beets and Potatoes

• 4 Medium Beets, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 6 Medium Russet Potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 Tsp Coriander
• Salt
• Pepper
• 5-6 Garlic Cloves, skin on

For the Roasted Garlic Tahini Yogurt Sauce

• 5-6 Roasted Garlic Cloves, skin removed
• 1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 2 Tbsp Tahini

Get started with the chicken by combining the water, salt, bay leaf and garlic in a large, glass or plastic container. Add the chicken and let soak for 45 minutes or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 425. Toss the beets and potatoes in a large pan with the olive oil and the rest of the ingredients. Place in the oven.

While the beets and potatoes are roasting, coat the chicken with the olive oil season with the rest of the ingredients and place in a pan. After the vegetables have been cooking for 10 minutes, add the chicken to the oven and continue to cook the vegetables and the chicken for about 20 minutes until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160.

Remove the vegetables and the chicken from the oven. While they are cooling, pick the garlic cloves out from the vegetables and remove the skin. Mash the garlic on a cutting board with a fork or the side of a broad knife and combine with the yogurt and tahini.

Serve the yogurt mixture alongside the chicken and vegetables and enjoy!