YBC's Food Writer Allison of SeekSatiation is back today with her first post of 2019! If there are ingredients you want to see or a recipe you’d like her to spin, let us know in the comments below! xoCandace

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I’m trying to get back into the meal prep groove. Let’s face it: eating out is NOT cheap, and it makes our bank accounts very unhappy. Though I wish I was a professional food writer and photographer - *sigh*, the dream - I am a data analyst for a large hospital in NYC. With that job comes occasional long days and thoughts of, “Oh, I’ll meal prep for a few days tomorrow night, because I’m tired now.” I’ll say that on a Monday night, then I’ll say it three more nights in a row. The next think I know, it’s Thursday night, I’ve spent $50 - $80 on breakfasts & lunches, and I damn well know I’m not making something for breakfast OR lunch at work on Friday. HA!

Just make a plan, people. DO IT. Make a plan, do a grocery shop, take two or three hours on a Sunday afternoon - or the day before your work week starts - and make a few breakfasts and lunches for the week. YOU. WILL. NOT. REGRET. BEING. PREPARED. And boy oh boy, will your bank accounts look so much more flush!

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. 💁

For years, I’ve been a fan of cooking up chicken breasts and thighs and serving my own yogurt sauce to top it with. However, I’ve recently become hip to marinating my chicken in yogurt! How many of you do not regularly marinade your proteins before cooking them? I’m guilty of it 99% of the time. Once you start marinading, however, it’s hard not to, because the quality of the protein is so much better, be it juicy, tender, or flavorful.

And yes, I still top my chicken with its own additional yogurt sauce, because indulgence.

Yogurt-Marinated Sheet Pan Chicken with Chickpeas, Fennel, & Onions

This is a great meal for meal-prepping; it yields a solid three to four lunches! Feel free to mix up your vegetables preferences for roasting, but I am in love with this chickpea, red onion, and fennel bulb combo. If you’re adverse to the liquorice-ish flavor of fennel, do not fear and give it a try: the taste mellows and it’s wonderful roasted!

Happy Roasting, y’all!

Yogurt-Marinated Sheet Pan Chicken with Chickpeas, Fennel, & Onions

Chicken

- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably full-fat

- Juice of ½ lemon

- 1 teaspoon turmeric

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder

- 1 teaspoon salt

-2 - 3 lbs. of chicken parts; I prefer chicken breasts and thighs (bone-in & skin-on), but use what you prefer!

Chickpeas & Vegetable

- 3 cups chickpeas, cooked, drained, and rinsed

- 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

- ½ large red onion, thinly sliced

- 2 tablespoons olive oil (use code ‘PODCAST’ for a discount)

- 1 teaspoon cumin

- Salt & pepper, to taste

Yogurt Sauce

- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

- ½ teaspoon dried dill

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder

- ½ teaspoon yellow curry powder

- 4 tablespoons water, room temperature

- Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.) Combine yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl; do not use a metal bowl! Add chicken and coat in marinade. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Do not refrigerate! (To those concerned about food poisoning while marinading on a countertop: You will be fine, as the roasting will kill any pathogens!)

2.) Preheat oven to 425℉.

3.) On roasting sheet, combine chickpeas, fennel, onion, olive oil, cumin until thoroughly coated. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Evenly spread chickpeas and vegetables in a layer across the sheet pan, then move some towards the outer edges of the pan to allow chicken to fit.

4.) Remove excess marinade from chicken, and place chicken parts in the center of the pan. Place in oven and cook for 50 minutes or - if you have a meat thermometer - until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ and its thickest point. Occasionally toss chickpeas and vegetables if you see them browning too quickly.

5.) While chicken is roasted, combine yogurt, dill, garlic powder, and curry powder. One tablespoon at a time, add water until sauce reaches desired thickness.

6.) Remove pan from oven and serve immediately with yogurt sauce, plus cilantro and additional slice red onions, if preferred. For meal prep, this meal will last up to three days refrigerated; save yogurt sauce in its own container for up to one week.

I hope you enjoy! For more recipes, or to find out more about me, follow me on IG or check out my blog, www.seeksatiation.com!