Roasted Chicken Thighs with Spicy Root Vegetables

Vince finally came home on Tuesday after a week and a half overseas.  Since he'd been living on restaurant food while he was there, I wanted to welcome him home with some homey comfort food.  Initially, I thought about roasting a whole chicken with all the trimmings, but making that happen on a weeknight was unlikely.  Besides, Vince would be getting in just before dinner time, and I wanted to be able to enjoy his company, not be fussing with dinner, so something a little more hands-off was in order.

Then I remembered seeing roasted chicken thighs with root vegetables at The Way the Cookie Crumbles.  All of the good parts of a chicken dinner, but in half the time.  I did spice it up a little, since spicy is pretty much Vince's favorite food group, and add a sweet potato since there was one languishing in the pantry.  This was a great dish to reconnect as a family over. 

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Spicy Root Vegetables

What's in it:

3 medium carrots, scrubbed, cut into spears
3 medium parsnips, scrubbed, cut into spears
5-6 small Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, quartered
1 small sweet potato, cut into wedges
2 small onions, quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
pinch cayenne
4 large chicken thighs with skin and bones
2 tsp kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Mix the olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and half the salt and pepper in small bowl.  Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray or olive oil.  Place the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and onions in the pan and toss with the spice mixture.  

Lay the chicken, skin-side up, over the vegetables. Rub the oregano and the remaining salt and pepper on the chicken and under its skin.  Bake until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 35-45 minutes. Serve.