Have I mentioned how much I love Real Simple? I do. I love the magazine, the cookbooks and the website. It’s my go to for simple, healthy meals. I honestly haven’t tried a recipe from it that I haven’t loved. The best part about their recipes is that they use very few ingredients and it’s always whole, healthy ingredients, so I can feel good about feeding them to my family. Marielle’s tastes (and appetite!) are growing, and evolving into loving the foods that my husband and I eat. Dark meat may not be the healthiest part of the chicken, but it’s incredibly tasty and reheats beautifully without getting dry. This recipe gives baby lots of new flavors (Rosemary and Leeks) along with familiar tastes (Chicken and Apples) Removing the chicken from the bone, adding the apples, leeks and some of the cooking liquid and either pureeing for younger babies, or mashing for older babies makes a delightful meal for your little one. And you!
Recipe courtesy of Real Simple (slightly adapted)
Ingredients
- 4 small apples (I used Honeycrisp and Haralson for both sweet and tart flavors)
- 2 leeks (white and light green parts), washed and chopped into 1/2 inch circles
- 6 small sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 4-6 chicken thighs
Directions
- Heat oven to 400° F. In a large roasting pan, toss the apples, leeks, rosemary, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and nestle, skin-side up, among the vegetables.
- Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the apples and leeks are tender, 40 to 45 minutes.
The Simple Elements 