Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Yukon Gold Potatoes

Truth be told we are not that big on chicken around here. However, I use chicken stock frequently for dishes that don't actually contain chicken meat. Since I buy whole chickens for making the stock, quartering the chickens and reserving the meat, this leaves me with chicken pieces that I then need to find recipes for. I know, what a burden, right?! :-D Until now, I really only knew one excellent way to prepare chicken... more on that later... then this week I found a new chicken recipe which is actually quite good! I found it on Epicurious.com. You can link to the actual recipe, which I have rewritten here to illustrate the steps as I did them, by clicking on the link in the title. The photos are my own.

Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Yukon Gold Potatoes
Bon Appétit | March 2009

by Greg Atkinson In this simple chicken bake, the skin gets good and crispy, and the juices make the vegetables extra-succulent. Yield: Makes 6 servings 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 6 large chicken thighs with skin and bones (preferably organic; about 2 1/4 pounds total) 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg 2 pounds unpeeled medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, cut into 2-inch-long, 1/2-inch-thick spears 2 pounds medium carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch-long, 1/2-inch-thick spears Preheat oven to 450°F. Place chicken in a single layer in a baking dish. Coat chicken pieces with olive oil and set skin side up. Mix salt, thyme, 1½ teaspoons pepper, and nutmeg in small bowl. Sprinkle half of mixture over chicken. Roast until chicken starts to brown and some fat has rendered, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine potatoes, carrots, 2 tablespoons oil, and remaining salt/thyme mixture in large bowl. Transfer thighs to medium bowl; set aside. Transfer potato-carrot mixture to same baking dish; turn to coat with drippings. Roast until vegetables soften, 30 minutes. Place thighs on vegetables; pour accumulated juices from chicken over. Return baking dish to oven. Roast until chicken is cooked and vegetables brown, 15 minutes longer. As you can see we served ours with some green beans. It was really tender and juicy and well-seasoned.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

My husband says that if I were embodied in a food dish, this creation of mine would be it. It is a simple thing; 4 root vegetables, tossed in olive oil, sprinkled with sel gris de guerande (a course sea salt that is my absolute favorite), and roasted at about 425°F until caramelized on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. It goes with any kind of fish or meat, and is soooo yummy. I am not ashamed to admit that I make as much as will fit in my roasting pan so that I have enough to serve for dinner as well as leftovers to eat cold for breakfast in the morning!

The four vegetables I use are turnips, carrots, yams, and parsnips. The yams have a wonderful sweetness, and the parsnips are an absolute must with their unique flavor and perfume. The carrots and turnips add a nice balance to round the dish out.

First the vegetables are chopped into bite sized pieces.

Place them in a roasting pan, and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil.

Take a nice pinch of coarse sea salt, and grind it up over the veggies by rubbing it briskly between your palms.

Place it into the 425°F oven. The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of your vegetables, but stir every so often so that you can see their progress. The most important thing is that they become well caramelized.

Here they are, gorgeous, delectable and ready to serve:

On this particular occasion I pan fried some striped bass to go with them. This was also a simple preparation, just dredged in a bit of flour, sautéed in some vegetable oil for about 7-8 minutes, and a little squeeze of lemon on the plate.

Add a green vegetable to the plate for extra color and vitamins! In this case I just boiled some green beans in salted water.

Lunch is served!

Bon Appetit!