Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

I normally set aside a free weekend for the penultimate roast chicken, a recipe dog-eared and splattered with butter from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Vol. 1." But for a quick weeknight meal, this Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers passed the test.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1949749



The only "tweak" I made was more salt to the spice rub on the chicken. I find chicken to be bland most of the time, and it's not my favorite meat to use for dinner, so it's important to add enough seasoning from the start. While not a fan of fennel at all times, it blended well in this recipe, and the anise flavor was not as overpowering as I've found it to be.

As a side I served Honey-Glazed Carrots, a Tabasco cookbook recipe (I think I'm borderline OCD, so when I find a cookbook that offers reliable recipes, I continuously pull from those):
1 lb. carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 c. golden raisins (I omitted this, but if golden raisins are your thing, go for it)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. Tabasco
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium saucepan cook the carrots in 1/2 inches of boiling water, covered, over medium heat for 8 minutes. Drain the carrots, then turn into a 1-quart baking dish. Stir in the raisins, butter, honey, lemon juice, ginger, and Tabasco. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes; stir occasionally until the carrots are glazed. Spoon into a serving bowl.

Alongside the chicken and carrots I served leftover lima beans from last night's dinner and a crusty bread.



Tomorrow night is dinner out and a movie with some close friends, so look for more on Wednesday!