If you’ve ever wondered how restaurants get their roast chicken so juicy and full of flavor, the secret is simple — it’s all in the brine! This brined Roasted Chicken and Potatoes is one of those meals that makes you slow down and savor every bite.

The kids voted this was the best chicken and potatoes I’ve ever made and it was one pan and so dang easy.

The overnight brine infuses the meat with moisture and a subtle, herby flavor, while the garlic butter under the skin keeps every bite tender and golden. Add in roasted Yukon Gold potatoes that crisp up in the chicken drippings, and you’ve got a family dinner that is pure comfort food — with hardly any effort.

Why Brining Makes the Juiciest Chicken

The short answer is science! First, the salt in the brine breaks down the tight protein strands in chicken (or any poultry) which makes the structure more open to holding liquid molecules so it can retain more moisture.

When the chicken is submerged in the brine, the chicken soaks up the brine making it more juicy and more flavorful. The additional flavor in the brine like the lemon, fresh herbs and garlic all soak into the chicken so it’s flavored from the inside out!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Brine

• Water: The base that helps distribute the salt and flavors evenly.
• Kosher Salt: Draws moisture in and out of the chicken, resulting in juicy, seasoned meat.
• Honey: Adds a subtle sweetness and helps with browning during roasting.
• Peppercorns: Infuse mild spice and depth into the brine.
• Lemons: Brighten the flavor and help tenderize the meat.
• Bay Leaves: Add an earthy, aromatic note.
• Parsley & Thyme: Fresh herbs that lend light, savory flavor.
• Garlic: Deepens the flavor and complements the herbs beautifully.

For the Chicken

• Whole Chicken: The star of the recipe — roasting the entire bird keeps it juicy, flavorful, and beautifully golden while naturally basting the potatoes as it roasts.
• Kosher Salt: Enhances flavor, draws out moisture for crisp skin, and seasons both the chicken and potatoes evenly.
• Butter: Adds richness and helps the skin turn golden and crispy while keeping the meat tender and moist.
• Garlic: Brings depth and savory aroma to the butter mixture and infuses flavor into the chicken and potatoes.
• Fresh Thyme: Adds bright, earthy notes that complement the chicken’s richness and balance the buttery flavor.
• Lemon: Infuses the meat with a fresh citrus aroma, helps tenderize the chicken, and

Busy Day Ground Beef and Potatoes

This simple and delicious one pot recipe features ground beef and potatoes cooked together with flavorful seasonings for an easy and hearty meal. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner!

This is a recipe Cade and I would make when we first got married and lately I’ve been in the biggest cooking rut. It’s not even that I don’t want to cook, it’s just that nothing feels inspiring and nothing sounds good. So, I’ve been going back to my roots and making some simple comfort foods that everyone will eat and take no brain cells from me.

Ingredients for Ground Beef and Potatoes

Onion and peppers taste good when you pair them with classic ground beef and potatoes! We add a few seasonings and you have an easy ground beef dinner recipe they whole family will love. Here are all the ingredients you need:

• Canola Oil: helps cook the potatoes until golden and crispy
• Yukon Gold Potatoes: you can peel them or not and dice them into 1/4-inch cubes
• Ground Beef: I usually go with 85/15 for good flavor. You can use more lean ground beef if desired, or substitute it with ground turkey or ground chicken.
• Onion: just a yellow onion works great
• Red Bell Pepper: you could also grab a yellow or orange bell pepper
• Worcestershire Sauce: adds rich umami flavor
• Ketchup: adds flavor and a touch of sweetness
• Liquid Smoke: adds smokiness
• Dijon Mustard: adds flavor
• Seasonings: Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, Dried Oregano, Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Parsley: adds a fresh pop of flavor

How to Make Skillet Ground Beef and Potatoes

You only need one pan to make this family-friendly meal! Grab your cast iron skillet and let’s get cookin’!

1. Brown the Potatoes: Add oil to a large cast iron skillet and heat over high heat. when the oil is shimmering, reduce the heat to medium high and add the potatoes. Season them with salt and stir to coat. Let them cook until browned, stir often until the potatoes are tender.
2. Cook the Ground Beef: Remove the potatoes from the skillet and add the ground beef and break it up to cook.
3. Sauté the Onions and Peppers: Push the meat to the sides of the pan and add the onions. Stir until they soften and then add the bell peppers and cook until soft. Drain any grease if needed.
4. Combine: Add all the rest of the ingredients (including the potatoes) to the large skillet and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender.
5. Season: Give the dish one last hit of salt and pepper until you get the flavor you want. Serve it hot and top it with some fresh parsley.

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Easy One Skillet Pesto Asparagus Quinoa Recipe

This Easy Pesto Asparagus Quinoa Recipe is a fresh, vibrant dish packed with creamy pesto, tender asparagus, fluffy quinoa, and melty cheese — all baked to bubbly perfection. It’s a wholesome, one-pan wonder that’s bursting with flavor and ready in no time!

This one skillet pesto asparagus quinoa recipe is one of our favorite healthy dinners that takes hardly any work on your part. Vibrant basil pesto is the perfect addition to take simple quinoa to spectacularly delicious! We are using vegetable broth to cook the quinoa too which makes this a scrumptious vegetarian recipe!

Casseroles have always done well here at Oh Sweet Basil! They are family friendly and usually easy on the budget. We will forever loooove our teriyaki chicken casserole and of course, my mom’s busy day casserole. But this asparagus pesto quinoa casserole is probably our most healthy casserole, so everyone needs to try it!

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is a flowering plant with edible seeds. Quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids.

It is also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidants.

Quinoa is often used as an alternative for grains such as rice. In fact, we transformed our popular cilantro lime rice into cilantro lime quinoa. It’s fabulous!

What is Needed to Make Pesto Quinoa with Asparagus?

You only need one skillet and a few simple ingredients to make this easy weeknight dinner recipe! Here is everything you’ll need:

• Olive Oil: Helps cook the asparagus and tomatoes.
• Asparagus: Trim the spears and chop them into 1-2″ pieces.
• Sea Salt: Amplifies the flavor of the dish.
• Grape Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes also work great.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Adds extra flavor to the dish.
• Quinoa: Any type of quinoa works great in this recipe. We used white quinoa this time.
• Vegetable Broth: Adds more flavor than just using water. It can be substituted with chicken broth if desired.
• Pesto: You can make your own from scratch or buy a bottle at the grocery store.
• Mozzarella Chees