Hi all, this is Natalie from Honey, Ghee, & Me! 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!!
Chop up onion into about 1 inch pieces also- you wantIn a large baking dish, arrange chicken evenly on bottomPour in olive oil and maple syrup and sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and garlicToss in potatoes and onionsTop with thyme sprigs and place on center rack in ovenAfter 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!!Let sit for about 10 minutes, plate, and serve!
Yum! Even though it’s almost 100 degrees where I live, I may have to make this soon! 🙂