One Pan Autumn Chicken Dinner: Roasted Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potatos, Apples, Bacon and Beets

This may be my new go-to fall recipe.  It’s unbelievably tasty, with crispy herbed chicken thighs alongside the abundantly roastable vegetables that characterize fall.  It’s also incredibly versatile, and lends itself well to the customizability that is so crucial when you have a CSA box delivered each week.  You could easily replace sweet potatoes with butternut squash, acorn squash, or regular spuds.

My other big takeaway: why the heck have I been wasting my time with chicken breast all these years?  I think the preponderance of chicken breast dates to what I like to call the “Dark Ages of the Low-Fat Era” when fat was indiscriminately villianized.  Yes, a 3 oz portion of chicken thighs has about 30 more calories and 6 more grams of fat than a 3 oz portion of chicken breast.  But even if you double that and assume a hardier portion size, when you’re serving it atop a bed of roasted vegetables and that’s you’re dinner… I wouldn’t be too worried about it. Chicken thighs are much more flavorful, and you can buy them for less than half the cost ($0.99 per pound at Costco)!  I guaruntee you’ll be seeing them a lot here in the Messy Kitchen this fall (no, really, we have a 10 lb package in the freezer right now!)

One Pan Autumn Chicken Dinner

Adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs (~2 lbs in total)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup (omit for Whole30)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp each minced fresh thyme, sage and rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium large sweet potatoes, chopped into 3/4-inch cubes
• 3 large beets
• 2 lb Brussels sprouts, sliced into halves
• 2 apples, cored and sliced
• 12 pearl onions, halved
• 4 slices thick cut hickory smoked bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour 1 Tbsp olive oil, red wine vinegar, 3 cloves garlic and herbs into a gallon size resealable bag, add chicken, season with salt and pepper then seal bag and massage mixture over chicken while working to evenly distribute herbs. Set aside and let rest while chopping veggies.
• Place sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, beets, apples, onions and remaining garlic in a large bowl. Toss with remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil, maple syrup and liquid smoke and then toss to evenly coat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spread in an even layer onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Top with chicken thighs.  Sprinkle bacon (still raw)  evenly over veggie/fruit mixture. 
• Roast in preheated oven until chicken and veggies are golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Broil for a couple of minutes to get the skin crispy and golden.

Serves 4 (likely with some roast veggies left over)

Johanna