Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans (Asparagus)

Ok, so pan-roasting anything doesn't sound like your typical hot weather recipe - especially with the mid-to-high 90s weather we had the day I made this.  But when Alex works a 14+ hour day, grilling isn't really an option.  If we don't have leftovers (which I usually try and plan for, but we had used up our leftovers on his last 14+ hour day), I need something I can cook for myself at a normal hour and reheat easily when the hospital finally sets him free.

I had had this recipe hanging around on my Pinterest for awhile but waited until I could make it to Whole Foods for some organic red-skinned potatoes...  Then, when I did get to Whole Foods, they didn't have any green beans.  In the entire store.   They had asparagus, which we love, and which I figured would taste delightful with lemon and garlic.  Hence said substitution in the title.  I made a few other changes to the original recipe, including cooking a bit more so that we could have the leftovers the following day.... Because it was yet another 14+ hour day...

Recipe: (from Real Simple via Pinterest)
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced (Since I was cooking more, I used 6 cloves.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound trimmed green beans (I used asparagus.)
8 small red potatoes, quartered (I used 9.)
4 chicken breast - bones left in, with skin (I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and also added 2 chicken thighs lingering in the freezer as I continue my mission to use the food we have before moving!)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Coat a large baking dish or cast iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Arrange lemon slices in a single layer on the bottom of the dish or skillet.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans (or in my case asparagus) and toss to coat.

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the veggies and arrange them in a single layer on top of the lemon slices.

Add the potatoes to the same olive oil mixture and toss to coat.

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the baking dish or skillet on top of the veggies.

Place the chicken in the same olive oil mixture and coat thoroughly.  Place the chicken (skin-side up if using chicken with skin on) in the dish or skillet.  Pour any of the remaining olive oil mixture over the chicken (I did not have any leftover).

Roast for 50 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet.  Place the veggies and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.

Verdict:
First of all, it was delicious, and I will be making it again.  But there are a few things I would modify and/or change from the original recipe.

I don't know why, but cooking chicken at 450 degrees for 50 minutes sounded like a very, very long time to me.  My intuition told me to check it out after 30 minutes, and I was glad I did. The chicken was definitely done.  I did put the veggies and potatoes back into the oven for another 10 minutes.  The potatoes definitely needed more cook time.  I don't know if it was because I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts or if their cooking temp/time was just a bit off...  But several other reviewers shortened the cooking time and/or lowered the temperature to 425...400...even 350 in some cases.  Also, while the asparagus was by no means burned or ruined, it was a bit mushy and could have been cooked a bit less.  Again, I don't know if this would have been the same result if I had used green beans, but since several other reviewers also had similar experiences, while using green beans, I will probably lower the oven temperature as well next time.

In fact, the only part of the dish where the original cooking time might have been right on was the potatoes.  A few of the smaller pieces were perfectly cooked.  A few of the larger pieces could have used a bit  more time in the oven.  I would suggest really making sure that all potatoes really are small.  Or if you have a few larger ones, cut them into eighths etc. so that all the pieces are relatively close to the same size and will cook more evenly.

Some reviewers of this recipe found the taste, especially the green beans, to be on the bitter side.  We did not find this to be the case at all, but we really like lemon, and we really like garlic.  Perfect combination.  Some commenters suggested using the lemon juice but not the lemon slices, adding an orange slice with the lemon slices to cut the bitterness, or simply making sure to roll the lemon before slicing it...  I guess this brings out more of the juices when cutting and decreases the bitterness that comes out when cooking...  I don't know.  While the asparagus especially was very lemony, again we liked it.

All in all, the chicken was juicy, the potatoes were tender but crispy, the veggies were a little garlicky with a refreshing lemony zing....  And although an oven at 450 degrees is not usually what I want in my house on a 90+ degree day... It was a wonderful one-dish meal!