Balsamic Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Mushrooms and Everyday Dorie

Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook, written by Dorie Greenspan, features a wonderful collection of practical, everyday recipes using common ingredients in new and exciting ways. Highlights include Potato Chowder Lots of Ways, Lower East Side Brunch Tart, Bourbon-Roasted Pork Loin, Sweet and Smoky Roasted Carrots, and Tangerine-Topped Cheesecake. I will also be sharing her recipe for Balsamic Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Mushrooms following the review.

Disclosure: I received this book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own.

Dorie Greenspan

Dorie Greenspan is an IACP and James Beard award–winning chef and New York Times bestselling cookbook author based in Westbrook, Connecticut; New York City; and Paris, France.

She has been writing cookbooks for over 25 years including Sweet Times: Simple Desserts for Every Occasion, Baking: From My Home to Yours, and Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours. I also reviewed her book, Dorie’s Cookies, in 2016.

Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook

I had such fun cooking through Everyday Dorie. Every single recipe I tried turned out perfectly and the instructions were easy to follow.

Dorie states, “It’s the food of weekdays and weekends, of dinners for two and meals for a crowd.” While most of the recipes may come together easily, they are definitely not simple in taste.  Many have an interesting twist or additional flavors to help take it to the next level.

To help adapt the dishes even more based what you have available, Dorie often includes tips and ideas to create new variations or work around what’s in the pantry.

Chapters are divided according to course: Introduction; Nibbles, Starters & Small Meals; Soups & Salads; Chicken; Meat; Fish & Shellfish; Vegetable Go-Alongs & Go-Alones; Desserts; Basics & Transformers; and A Pantry Alphabet. The beginning of each chapter has a list of the included recipes for easy reference.

The photography is provided by Ellen Silverman with food styling by Nora Singley and prop styling by Ayesha Patel. Most of the recipes include a beautifully styled half to full-page photo of the finished dish.

Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Each recipe includes a headnote with personal stories, background information, serving size, notes on the ingredients, variations, and other tips.

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Mushrooms

This Balsamic Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Mushrooms is actually my very first time making a sheet-pan meal! Like so many of the recipes in the book, it comes together so easily while being filled with flavor.

Small potatoes (I used a variety for an extra pop of color- I especially love the purple) and mushrooms are tossed in a seasoned balsamic mixture with shallots and fresh herbs before arranging on an oiled rimmed baking sheet.

The chicken legs are then coated in additional olive oil and balsamic vinegar before being nestled in among the vegetables and baked until a deep golden color and cooked through.

The Balsamic Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Mushrooms are delicious on their own, but I did pair mine with buttered rice (crusty bread would also be perfect). 

While it is best served straight from the oven, leftovers will last a couple of days in the refrigerator. Dorie states that the potatoes can be cut into cubes and tossed into a salad.

This recipe uses whole chicken legs, but Dorie mentions they can be swapped for bone-in breasts (two split breast will feed four people).

Other Dishes

I also made the Ricotta Spoonable, Ponzu Chicken, Soy-Sauce Eggs and Sticky Rice, and White Wine-Poached Pears.

The Ricotta Spoonable is an easy appetizer perfect for pairing with toasted, crusty bread. Drained, whole milk ricotta is flavored with lemon, shallots, and herbs, plus a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of salt.

Ponzu, a citrus soy sauce, is the star ingredient in this Ponzu Chicken. It is mixed with lemon, rice vinegar, olive oil, and red curry to make an easy marinade for the chicken breast halves. I paired the chicken with rice and bok choy for a light meal.

The Soy-Sauce Eggs and Sticky Rice is actually similar to one of my favorite go-to weekday meals. Fresh egg yolks are refrigerated for up to a day in soy sauce and mirin and arranged over seasoned short-grain rice with butter and sesame oil.

I made the White Wine-Poached Pears for dessert while all the family was in town for the holidays. The peeled pears simmer gently in a seasoned white wine sauce (I used Riesling) with lemon, sugar, honey, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, star anise, and a tiny bit of pepper for about 15-20 minutes.

Everyday Dorie is a great pick for those looking for everyday recipes for any occasion. None are overly complex and the focus is on casual, inviting comfort food.

Most of the ingredients are readily available in the average American supermarket. Dorie has even included a list of some of the more specialized pantry items with descriptions and substitutions when available. Some that may be more difficult to find include pomegranate molasses, ponzu sauce, oyster sauce, sushi-grade tuna or salmon, gochujang, Old Bay seasoning, miso paste, and za’atar.

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Mushrooms Recipe

Excerpt from Everyday Dorie 

Print Pin

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Mushrooms

A recipe for Balsamic Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Mushrooms! Potatoes, mushrooms, chicken, and herbs are baked on a sheet pan in a seasoned balsamic mixture.

Course Main Course

Cuisine N/A

Keyword balsamic, chicken, mushroom, potato, poultry, sheet-pan

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) small potatoes scrubbed and halved if large
• 1/2 pound (226 grams) white mushrooms wiped clean, trimmed and cut in half if large
• 1 large shallot or medium onion cut into 8 wedges, rinsed and patted dry
• 4 garlic cloves unpeeled
• 8 sprigs fresh rosemary divided
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme divided
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6 tablespoons (90 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 whole chicken legs (thigh and drumstick) patted dry

Instructions

• Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 450˚F (230˚C). Rub a baking sheet with a little oil (or line it with foil and oil the foil).
• Put the potatoes, mushrooms, shallot or onion and garlic in a large bowl.
• Toss in 4 sprigs each of the rosemary and thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, a few grindings of pepper, 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) of the oil and 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) of the balsamic. Mix everything well and spread the ingredients out on the baking sheet.
• Put the chicken in the bowl, along with the remaining 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) oil and 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) balsamic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a good amount of pepper, and mix well to coat the chicken.
• Move the vegetables around to make room for the chicken. Tuck the remaining herbs under each piece.
• Roast the chicken for 40 minutes to 1 hour, until a thermometer stuck into the thickest part of a thigh measures 165˚F (74˚C).
• Serve everything on the baking sheet or a big platter; pour over the cooking juices.