Roasted Provencal Chicken Thighs

In the mood for something savory, simple, comforting, and healthy? I ran across a variation of this recipe several years ago. Weirdly, immediately after I “discovered” this simple peasant food, celebrity chefs starting popping up with their own personal incarnations, but with fancier names and more costly ingredients. Well, there’s no need to go all “Iron Chef”; just throw whatever ingredients YOU prefer and knock out your own celebrity version. Great results are guaranteed as long as you don’t mess with the spices and olives, as they are what give this dish its Provencal sensibility. “Bonne chere!”

Roasted Provencal Chicken Thighs Serves 6

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into smaller chunky pieces
4 plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
3 pounds small red potatoes OR sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 medium yellow or red onion, cut into wedges
2 red jalapenos, cleaned out and minced
24 nicoise olives (or green, or 1 tablespoon capers- something with a little kick!)
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried and crushed between your hands)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced (or 3/4 teaspoon dried and ground)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the potatoes, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, carrots, olives, and the cut-up chicken in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. On the cutting board on which you chopped the veggies, mince the garlic and sprinkle with the salt. Using the back of a fork, mash the garlic together with salt until it forms a paste. In a small bowl, pour in the EVOO, the minced rosemary, crushed/minced thyme, ground pepper, and mashed garlic and give it good stir with the fork used to mash the garlic. Pour the EVOO-spice mixture over the chicken and veggies and gently stir with a large spoon, or even better, your clean hands.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and put into the hot oven. Bake for 30 minutes, basting after 15 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil, baste the dish with the pan juices (there will be a lot more than you would expect!), and return to the oven for 15 minutes more or until the pan juices have reduced and the tops of the veggies have started to brown. Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving so it can absorb some of the juices. Serve with crusty bread (nomnom) and a green veggie: broccoli spears, asparagus, or green beans are nice!