Roasted Chicken Thighs and Potatoes with Fresh Thyme

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I grow thyme in my garden primarily  for my roasted chicken.  Roasted chicken is my signature dish and I only make it for people that I love and adore. I prefer using fresh thyme and since it winters over beautifully, I’ve never tried drying it.  I simply snip a few thyme sprigs and toss them on my cut up chicken right before I slide it into the oven.

 This summer, I created a variation with chicken thighs and red potatoes from my garden for an easy weeknight dinner.  As the chicken thighs roast, the potatoes absorb the chicken juice and end up studded with chicken drippings.  And the chicken thighs are succulent and topped with a crisp layer of skin. The fresh thyme adds an earthy herbal note.  If there are leftovers, I add the chicken to my kale salad for lunch.

Roasted Chicken Thighs and Potatoes with Fresh Thyme

The trick to fantastic roasted chicken is to dry the chicken pieces, salt it generously, then let the chicken come to room temperature by sitting on the counter top for thirty minutes.  I find that roasting the same cut of chicken pieces results in a more uniform result. And I only roast one cookie sheet of chicken pieces at a time.

• chicken thighs
• potatoes–cut into 1 inch chunks or smaller
• fresh thyme
• kosher salt, pepper, red cayenne
• olive oil

Preheat your oven to 430 degrees.  Dry chicken thighs with paper towels and place on an oiled cookie sheet.  Generously sprinkle the thighs with kosher salt, then add fresh ground pepper and red cayenne.  Allow the chicken thighs to sit out for thirty to forty minutes to warm up to room temperature.  This technique is key for super crispy skin.

Chop up the potatoes and place in a bowl.  Add a sprinkle of olive oil and seasonings and stir together with your hand.  Tuck the potatoes around the room temperature chicken thighs.  Evenly distribute the fresh thyme sprigs over the potatoes and chicken.  Place them in the oven for 45 minutes or until the skin is nice and crispy. Remove from the oven and serve.