Healthy Herbed Chicken

Seeing as its stampede week there's quite a bit of indulging. Who can resist trying all the new goodies on the grounds like red velvet donuts, bacon wrapped pork belly, cotton candy flower and the scorpion pizza?? Well maybe I’ll skip out on the last one but I definitely need to get the infamous 'Those Little Mini Donuts' and the turkey drumstick. It's become a yearly traditional for us and it just wouldn’t be stampede without them.

With all those indulgences, it makes sense to want to eat cleaner at home to maintain a balanced diet. For this reason I wanted to share a flavorful herbed chicken recipe which is healthy and satisfying. Pair it with a fresh salad and some potatoes and you have a meal that's quick and delicious. Plus, since our weather has been so warm recently, this recipe also works great on the grill!

Nutritional Tidbit: Herbs pack a powerful punch when it’s comes to the health benefits they provide. Since they’re extremely concentrated, using only a bit of them in our recipes not only enhances the flavour of our food but also increases the nutrition of our dishes. Simple herbs as basil and parsley can prevent cancer, lower blood pressure and reduce heart disease. Some herbs also reduce inflammation in our body and helps lower blood glucose. All these great benefits plus being flavour boosters, there’s really no reason why they shouldn’t be included in every recipe!

Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp oregano, dried

1 tbsp basil, dried
1 tbsp thyme, dried
1 tbsp chili flakes
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 lbs chicken drumsticks
4 tbsp olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Using a smaller bowl, combine the garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, chili flakes and fennel seeds. Feel free to use fresh herbs, which is what I did but double the amount of herbs used because dried herbs are more concentrated. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add in the chicken drumsticks and rub with salt and pepper.

Coat the drumsticks with olive oil and slowly sprinkle on the herb mixture until each drumstick is evenly covered. If you have time, leave the drumsticks to marinte for an hour or overnight in the fridge for even better flavour.

Place the drumsticks on the baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between each to avoid crowding and undercooking of the chicken.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve with sides.

Makes 4 servings.