Recipe: Chicken Variations and Green Beans

I'm discovering if I wait until the evening to post, there's a good chance it won't happen...as promised, here are some of the chicken variations that I've used in the past (or just thought up). In general, I don't add a lot of liquids to the chicken, since I like plain chicken gravy. But, you can also just take the juice from the bottom of the pan and boil it down till it's a little thicker, especially if you've added some flavorings. Try to think of things that go well together, especially ethnic flavors. For example:

Asian:
Mix a little sesame oil with ginger and garlic to make a paste to spread under the skin. Drizzle with soy sauce, or mix soy sauce and a little rice wine. You could also mix the soy sauce with maple syrup for something sweeter.
In the cavity--lemon? maybe nothing

Thai:
If you have curry paste, spread it under the skin. You could throw some bruised lemongrass (or just lemon) in the cavity along with some basil.

Moroccan: Oranges and cinnamon sticks in the cavity, and butter mixed with cumin, ginger, and coriander under the skin. If you want a nice yellow color under the skin (and everywhere else!), you could add some turmeric too.

Mexican: Limes in the cavity, butter mixed with green chilies, cumin, oregano, and chili powder under the skin. While you're keeping the potatoes warm, you could sprinkle them with some mexican blend cheese.

Italian: Lemons in the cavity, butter mixed with basil, oregano, and italian seasonings.

Just peruse your spice cabinet and see what you have...caribbean jerk seasoning? greek seasoning? pumpkin pie spice? I don't know about that last one, but most dried spices (and fresh chopped ones) can be mixed with butter or oil and put under the skin. You can also put fresh herbs in the cavity (like thyme, rosemary, or mint) if you prefer.

As for the beans, they're supremely easy. Drizzle a lb of cleaned green beans (just line them up and cut the ends off) with some olive oil, salt, and pepper (table salt seems to work better here). Roast at 450 degrees for 10 min, remove and stir, then roast for another 10 minutes or until they are the right shade of brown for you. Yum!