One of my most favorite meals - Foodie Friday

My husband, then boyfriend, and I discovered this meal several years ago and it quickly became one of my favorites. It is amazing. All of the wonderful flavors and the way it makes your house smell. It's making me hungry just thinking about it.

So what is it you're probably wondering. Chicken, asparagus and oven roasted potatoes. What's so special about that? Those are fairly ordinary, every day meal items.

It's not so much WHAT it is but how you make it. Keep reading for a sneak peek and general how-to make the most amazing meal ever! Ok well maybe not ever, but pretty darn close.

What you'll need to make the whole meal:
Chicken - I usually use a whole, cut up chicken but you can use whatever pieces you like or are on sale that week
McCormick's Grill Mates Baja Citrus seasoning - found in your seasoning/mix aisle
Oil, water and vinegar - for mixing up the seasoning packet
Asparagus
Potatoes - cut into 1ish inch cubes or if they're small enough just in half or quarters
Oil
Garlic
Dried herbs of your choice - I used basil, parsley and oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

So let's get started!

Mix up the Baja Citrus seasoning as directed on the package and pour it over the chicken. Let this sit in the fridge and get cozy for at least an hour - longer is lots better. I've left it sit from morning until evening for dinner and the longer it sits the more intense the flavor is.

From here on out for cooking the chicken is just how I did it on this particular day. I've done it many different ways including grilling on an outside grill, only baking it in the oven, pan frying then finishing in the oven, just cooking in a roaster, the list goes on and the ways to actually cook the chicken are pretty nearly endless. Pick your favorite way and go with it, but here's how I did it.

Cook the chicken on a George Foreman or other similarly typed indoor grill for about 5 minutes per side, enough to get a bit of a crust on the chicken and make sure the seasoning sticks to it. Preheat your oven to 350 while you're cooking the chicken.

Put the chicken on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven to finish cooking. The exact time it takes will vary, but I left mine in for about an hour because it was still a little frozen.

Start preparing the potatoes. Wash and dry them. Peel if you wish, but I didn't peel mine.

Cut into 1 inch pieces and add a bit of oil and your favorite dried herbs. I used basil, oregano and parsley. Toss to coat.

Spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake until cooked and golden brown on the outside, tossing as needed to brown evenly and prevent burning. Mine took about 45 minutes.

Next, on to the asparagus!

Cut the icky ends off and then cut the remaining spear into thirds.

Toss with a drizzle of oil and as much chopped garlic as you like. Also salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the same oven as your potatoes and chicken for 15 - 20 minutes. Mine even fit on the end of the potato cookie sheet.

And there you have it. An amazing, healthy meal in about an hour (not including pre-grilling the chicken).