By: Jacqueline Gomes, RDN, MBA  

Between afterschool activities and at home obligations, you may find family meals are a thing of the past. However, regular family meals are linked to many lifelong benefits!

• Children who grow up sharing family meals are more likely to exhibit prosocial behavior as adults, such as sharing, fairness and respect.
• Increased family meals are associated with greater intake of fruits and vegetables.
• With each additional family meal shared each week, adolescents are less likely to show symptoms of violence, depression and suicide, less likely to use or abuse drugs or run away, and less likely to engage in risky behavior or delinquent acts.
• Adults and children who eat at home more regularly are less likely to suffer from obesity.

Make Meals Happen…

• Keep meals simple yet nutritious. Ground turkey for instance can go from package to burgers and meatballs in minutes, (plus the make-ahead benefits!). Rich in protein, lean and powerful flavor!
• When you have time, prepare staples (think rice, quinoa) and refrigerate or freeze to throw into soups/casseroles/side dishes later in the week.
• Roasting a whole chicken is a great way to incorporate a variety of healthful ingredients into a one-pan meal.

Peri Peri Chicken

Prep: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Cook: 1 hour

Makes: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. PERDUE® Fresh Whole Chicken, Cut-Up
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 4 large or 8 medium potatoes, Yukon Gold, russet, or red bliss
• 4 tbsp. buttermelted
• 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

1. In a bowl or 2-cup glass measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, cilantro, red pepper flakes and salt and black pepper.
2. Place the chicken in a glass baking dish. Pour the Peri Peri sauce over the chicken and toss to coat well. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. 30 minutes before you’re ready to roast, take the chicken out of the refrigerator, prepare the potatoes and preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Place potato onto a large spoon. Slice eat potato crosswise at 1/8 to ¼ inch intervals. Cut almost to the bottom but not all the way through the potato. Slice down through the potato and when the knife hits the edge of the spoon stop slicing.
4. Place chicken & potatoes into a roasting pan. Brush the potatoes all over with half of the melted butter. Season with salt and black pepper. Roast the chicken and potatoes for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Baste the chicken with pan juices. Brush the potatoes with the remaining melted butter, making sure to brush the butter into the slices as the potatoes start to spread open. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese onto the tops of the potatoes. Return the pan to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F.
5. Serving: Remove the chicken and potatoes from the oven. Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before carving. Pour the Peri Peri pan juices into a serving container. Serve Peri Peri Chicken with potatoes, sauce and lemon wedges. Incorporate a green salad to round out your meal!

Recipe: perdue.com