{Maple Roasted Chicken & Sweet Potatoes}

Hi all, this is Natalie from Figalicious! My dear friend Arsy here asked me if I would like to be a guest on Rubies & Radishes... so here I am!! I started up my own little food blog recently, so getting to be a guest on hers is a major honor :) While I don't always cook Paleo, I try my best to make things that are healthy and gluten-free (well, most of the time anyway- I have to indulge every now and then!). When Arsy had adorable little baby Indy a few weeks ago (she's incredibly sweet and beautiful by the way), I offered to make a little din din to bring over for her and Brooke... so that's what I'm sharing today. When thinking of what to conjure up for them, I racked my brain to think of something simple and comforting that they could easily reheat and enjoy. Naturally, since I love to cook, a gazillion recipes came to mind (man being an indecisive Libra is rough sometimes!). Realizing that the day was quickly passing and I didn't have a ton of time, I opted for one of my fave go-to's that's quick and simple... maple roasted chicken and sweet potatoes. I've made this dish a lot, but even with its minimal ingredients, seem to make it different every time. For this version, I added a touch of garlic powder, which you can omit if you want, but I felt like adding an extra hint of zing to this batch (I'm Greek- we put garlic in everything if we can).

I usually cook this dish in fall or winter, when I'm craving something comforting and warm, but there's no rule that says you can't have comfort food in summer! Plus, it's sooooo easy- like crazy easy- you really can't mess this one up. You just chop up some sweet potatoes and an onion, throw 'em in a pan with some olive oil, maple syrup, and fresh thyme, and then toss in a dash of salt and pepper... oh and a sprinkle of garlic powder if you want too! Easy right? Then you bake it for about one hour and vuala... done! You might be thinking maple syrup in poultry sounds a bit bizarre, but it's really good (sorry guys but the Aunt Jemima stuff won't work here- it's gotta be the good stuff). You don't need much though, just enough so that when mixed with the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes, the broth from the chicken, and the earthy tones of the thyme, it creates a sweet savory coating for the veggies and chicken... yummm. I recommend using bone-in/skin-on thighs or breasts, since the bones add more flavor and keep the chicken moist, but you can use whatever you like. Bonus about this dish... you don't have to worry about exact measurements- you can literally just toss the stuff together, bake, and eat. Five main ingredients, one hour, and boom... you have din din :) Plus, it's Paleo and nutritious!!

Serves 2-4, depending on how hungry how you are

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken pieces (I like bone-in/skin-on thighs)

2 sweet potatoes

1 yellow onion (he didn't make it in the pic this time, but don't forget him!)

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp maple syrup (the real/good kind- makes a huge difference)

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)

8 sprigs fresh thyme

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Begin by peeling sweet potatoes

Then chop them into about 1 inch thick pieces

Chop up onion into about 1 inch pieces also- you want

the onions and potatoes similar in size

In a large baking dish, arrange chicken evenly on bottom

Pour in olive oil and maple syrup and sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic

Toss in potatoes and onions

Mix well to evenly coat veggies and chicken

Position chicken on bottom of

pan so that it will cook in liquid and stay moist!

Top with thyme sprigs and place on center rack in oven

Bake for about 1 hour, uncovered

About half way through, stir veggies and chicken, making sure

that the pieces that were on top get into the liquid

(The thyme leaves should begin to fall off and dry as they cook)

After about an hour, when chicken is cooked through, turn oven to broil to blacken the skin- this will only take a couple of minutes- too long and it will turn to charcoal!!