Kabobless Chicken and Vegetables

Midsummer. The longest day is this week — the solstice, the peak of light, the moment when summer reaches its fullest and begins, imperceptibly, to recede. I don't notice the recession yet. In June, in Idaho, the light lasts until nearly 10 PM, and the evenings are golden and endless and the world feels like it will never be dark again, which is an illusion but a beautiful one.

I told Lily she can compete. Janet was right — she's ready. We signed up for a junior walk-trot show in September, a beginner event at a local stable. Lily's reaction: a full-body event involving screaming, jumping, and the immediate need to tell every human and animal within earshot. She called Brett. She called Mom. She told Hank. She told the cashier at the grocery store. By sundown, the entire Treasure Valley was aware that Lily Wilder was going to compete on horseback, and she was, according to her own press release, "going to WIN."

Mason spent the week reading Harry Potter book three and conducting an experiment involving growing beans in different light conditions. He set up four pots on the windowsill: full sun, partial shade, complete dark, and — for reasons I do not fully understand — one illuminated by a flashlight 24/7. He's documenting growth rates. He's seven. This is normal for Mason. This is Mason's version of summer fun, and I love it even though the flashlight bean pot is running down batteries at an alarming rate.

The garden is in full production. Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini (again, too much zucchini, always too much zucchini), basil, peppers. I'm canning and freezing and giving away surplus. Carol gets three zucchinis a week. Brett gets tomatoes. Jen gets basil. I am the neighborhood produce distribution center, and the job pays in gratitude and the satisfaction of growing more food than my family can eat, which is the oldest agricultural flex and one I find deeply satisfying.

I made ratatouille this week — all garden vegetables, diced and layered and slow-baked with olive oil and herbs until everything melts together into something that looks like a painting and tastes like Provence (or my imagination of Provence, which is all I have and all I need). It's the most beautiful dish I've ever made, and I photographed it, and the photo went on the refrigerator next to Mason's drawings and Lily's horse cards, because in this house, art comes in all forms — crayon and frosting and slow-roasted vegetables arranged in concentric circles.

The ratatouille I made this week fed my soul, but it’s not a fast weeknight dinner—and with Lily still bouncing off the walls from her competition news and Mason defending the scientific integrity of his flashlight bean experiment, fast weeknights matter. This is the recipe I reach for when the garden is exploding and I need everything on the table in under an hour: kabobless chicken and vegetables, all the flavors of a summer grill without the skewers, made entirely from what’s coming out of the ground right now. It’s the kind of dish that lets the produce do the talking, which in late June, in Idaho, is exactly what the produce deserves.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
Make the marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, basil, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Coat the chicken. Add chicken chunks to the bowl and toss well to coat. Let sit for 5 minutes while you prep the vegetables.
Toss the vegetables. In a separate bowl, toss zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, red onion, and cherry tomatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Arrange on baking sheet. Spread the chicken in a single layer on one half of the prepared baking sheet. Spread the vegetables in a single layer on the other half, keeping them from crowding so they roast rather than steam.
Roast. Bake for 20–25 minutes, stirring vegetables once halfway through, until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature 165°F) and the vegetables are tender with lightly caramelized edges.
Rest and serve. Let rest 3 minutes, then transfer to a platter or serve directly from the pan. Garnish with additional fresh basil if desired. Serve over rice, orzo, or alongside crusty bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Kabobless Chicken and Vegetables — When the Garden Is Too Beautiful to Not Cook From It