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You have fifteen minutes to serve your family a hot meal, where do you turn? McPizza-rito ‘n Suds. Tempting, but no. It’s roast chicken to the rescue . This superhero food is my go-to.

A few weeks back, we talked ratios; today it’s Venn diagrams. Imagine your family’s schedule in circles – a family circle. Each circle represents one member’s schedule and where the circles overlap is the time that everyone will be home together. Some nights, for my family, the tiny spirographical intersection showing our unified home time is a mere fifteen minutes.Although a narrow shot, I do my best to fill those few minutes with some nourishment if for no other reason than to keep them going for the remainder of the night.

Without hassle, this chick’s chicken turns out every time; and every time I make it, the peeps at the table swoon. I wish I could say that secret ingredients make this special or that the recipe has been passed down through the ages from my great-great-great Aunt Hilda, but this one is just a simple and honest preparation. There are four or five steps, however, that ensure perfection.

Start with bone-in and skin-on chicken breasts to produce intense flavor and to contain the moisture (you can remove the skin later). Patting the skin dry keeps the skin crisp and further locks in flavor. Season with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper before roasting. Roast at a higher temperature. Let the chicken rest ten minutes before serving.

As long as you’re roasting, throw in vegetables and potatoes. You’ll have a one-pan meal in the oven one hour before you need to serve it.We halve each breast for smaller dinner portions and then use the leftovers to make chicken & plum salad.

For neighborly gestures, roast chicken and potatoes also make a great warm meal basket for friends or family in need (i.e. a new baby, someone at home sick, a thank you meal, sorry I ran over your dog, etc.).