• Roasted Chicken Breasts
  • Steakhouse-Style Iceberg Lettuce Wedges With Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Preparation tip:  cook the bacon for the salad first, then turn up the oven to roast the chicken.

Roasted Chicken Breasts Recipe

2 split chicken breasts, with bones and skin still attached
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves (dried is OK if fresh is not available)
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
kosher (or sea) salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (475 if you are in a high altitude location like Colorado). Mix butter with oregano and lemon zest. Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Run finger under the skin to loosen on one side, but don’t remove the skin. Rub butter mixture under skin of chicken and on top of skin. Be sure to wash hands after handling raw poultry. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and bake on a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet for 30 to 35 minutes until nicely brown and skin is crispy. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes after removing from oven.

Steakhouse-Style Iceberg Lettuce Wedges With Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe

1 fresh, chilled head iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup lite sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I like Hellman’s/Best Foods)
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 slices bacon (I like thick cut)
4 Campari-type tomatoes or 8 to 10 grape tomatoes (whatever is available)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (450 if you’re in a high altitude location). Cover a baking sheet in heavy duty aluminum foil (or double regular foil) and place bacon on foil. Bake for approx. 15 minutes (less if using thin cut) until bacon is browned and getting crispy. Remove bacon to paper towel on plate to let it drain and continue to crisp up as it cools. Crumble bacon after it is cool to handle.

For dressing, mix together sour cream, mayo, buttermilk, blue cheese with salt and pepper to taste. Let dressing sit covered tightly in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for flavors to meld. Core and wash lettuce head, then cut into four wedges. Use two wedges tonight and save two wedges for tomorrow night’s dinner, wrapped or sealed in plastic bag in refrigerator. Cut Campari tomatoes into four wedges each (remove stems); if using grape or cherry tomatoes, just cut them in half. Drizzle dressing to taste over wedges, arrange tomatoes around wedges and sprinkle bacon crumbles over dressing. Serve immediately.