Sunday Supper: Roasted Chicken with Savory Cannellini Beans and Greens

Today is windy in Northern California and it's perfect for a roasted chicken with savory sides. Loaded with vitamins K, A, C, and E, this is a great dish for the whole family. This is a very clean and simple dish to prepare. The sides can be ready in less than 20 minutes including prep time. For added color, toss some whole carrots in the roasting pan with your chicken.

What you will need
1 whole fryer chicken
1/4 lb. Italian sausage
1 bunch rainbow chard
2 garlic cloves
1 can cannellini beans
1 medium sized orange carrot
1 medium sized yellow carrot
1 red onion
1/2 c. white wine (optional)
Seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper
olive oil

What to Do
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your whole chicken by rinsing it in the sink and placing it on a cutting board. Begin patting the bird down with a paper towel and discard. Rub soft butter all over the skin of your bird and between the skin and the breast meat. Sprinkle onion powder, garlic powder, a small amount of cayenne and salt evenly over the bird. Crack freshly ground pepper over the entire bird before placing in the oven.

***Tip: To prevent cross contamination, dedicate one cutting board for raw meat and one for preparing your vegetables. Make sure to clean the sink well after rinsing the bird.

Place chicken on the rack in the roasting pan and place in oven to roast for 45 minutes to an hour. Open oven at the 20 minute mark and baste chicken with the juices in the lower part of your roasting pan and baste every ten minutes until your cook time is complete and your bird juices run clear.

While your bird is roasting between bastings, prepare chard by rinsing well in cool water and cutting into 1/2' inch pieces. Saute your sausage in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Dice your onion and begin sauteing half of it along with the sausage. Dice your carrots and add to the pan stirring occasionally. In a second deep saute pan, begin heating 1 T. olive oil over medium low heat. Mince 1 garlic clove and add to the olive oil. Mince a second garlic clove and add the the sausage and reduce heat to medium low. Add 1 can of rinsed cannellini beans to the sausage and stir then cover to allow to cook stirring occasionally.

You should begin to smell the garlic in your second pan. Turn heat up to medium high and add the chard. Add just a little bit of salt and stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of white wine to then cover. Cook at that heat for 5-7 minutes then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally until the bird is ready. Salt and pepper just before serving.

Remove bird from the oven and place on a large serving plate. If you chose to add roasted carrots, place them around the outside of the bird and serve sides family style. Pair with a 2007 Chianti Classico and enjoy!