‘Tis the month of November, when it is cold, rainy, and blustery outside, so I find myself in the kitchen more on Sunday afternoons as opposed to a lazy day at the lake. And this recipe, which originally appeared in the October issue of Cooking Light, is perfect for warming up the kitchen. Slow roasted chicken with a flavorful sauce makes for a delicious meal in addition to inexpensive. And leftovers warmed wonderfully for lunches.

I had some trouble sectioning the lemons, so I found after I was done a lot of the fruit was still left in the peel. So I turned my lemon peels into lemon water! I gathered them up and had lemon water all week long!

I bought parsley which I completely forgot about adding, along with the cheese and breadcrumbs. But it was still delicious. Served over linguine, it was a perfect dinner to end the weekend!

Slow-Baked Chicken Thighs with Tomato, Fennel, and Lemon

This recipe originally appeared in the October 2014 issue of Cooking Light magazine. You can serve on crusty toast or a bed of pasta if you like.

2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups shaved fennel (about 2 bulbs)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, drained
12 garlic cloves, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slice
3 lemons, sectioned
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 (1-ounce) slice whole-wheat bread
2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter. Pour into a 13 x 9–inch glass or ceramic baking dish; tilt to coat bottom of dish. Top with fennel.

3. Rub salt into chicken; arrange chicken over fennel. Hand-crush tomatoes; tuck between thighs. Scatter garlic and lemon over chicken; sprinkle with thyme.

4. Cut 1 tablespoon butter into pieces; scatter over dish. Cover; bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a thermometer registers 180°.

5. Uncover; bake 45 minutes, basting every 5 to 10 minutes.

6. Combine bread and cheese in a food processor; pulse for coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over chicken; drizzle with basting juices. Bake 10 minutes. Top with parsley.

MVK’s Endorsement of the Week: Prepare for Thanksgiving with These Tips
Clever Cookstr is a new podcast from the Quick and Dirty Tips family that I recently discovered and it is terrific! Each podcast, less than ten minutes in length, takes on a food topic to discuss, from 7 new ways to cook pumpkin, what to serve vegans at your next dinner party, to the more timely “Thanksgiving Day Countdown Begins Now”-October 21. For those cooking the meal this year, whether it’s your first or tenth, I found some great bits of information that can help all Thanksgiving cooks!