Bon Appetit!

 (Photo compliments of www.backtothecuttingboard.com/)

A friend of mine invited us all over for dinner a few weekends ago and this is what we had (Thanks Andy and Kimaleigh).  I enjoyed it so much, I made it last night and we all LOVED it!  This picture hardly does it justice- the sweet potatoes were vibrant and orange and had caramelized in my favorite baking dish on the planet!

I used boneless skinless chicken breasts because that was all that I had- but I think the bone in is the best way to go, I used sea salt and baked it for 1.5 hours- hence the carmelization.  Fabulous!  Also, to prove how fabulous it was to Elliott while I was making it- I poured in some extra syrup just to see his eyes and then his expression was priceless "dinner is going to have syrup in it?".  He ate without hesitation- well, except for the pesky little "sticks" (as he would say) from the thyme.  He hates those "sticks".

Maple Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs and or drumsticks

poultry seasoning, to taste

2 cups carrots, cut into one inch pieces

3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

3/4 cup of maple syrup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp (to taste) fresh thyme,chopped

Arrange chicken in an 8x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the seasoning, salt and pepper. Place the carrots, sweet potatoes and the onion in the dish. drizzle with maple syrup and olive oil. 

Sprinkle with thyme and toss to coat.

Cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove cover, stir and cook for about 15 minutes longer or until the chicken is golden brown and meat thermometer registers 165. 

Let stand and cover with foil for 5-8 minutes before serving.