Chili Rubbed Roast Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans

Easy, fast-cooking oven meals are a great way to get a healthy meal on the table quickly. In this recipe, chicken thighs are given added flavor with a rub of chili powder and smoked paprika, mixed with orange juice, zest, and oil, then baked with sweet potatoes.

The sweet potatoes can be left plain or combined with a mixture of black beans, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice, and cilantro. Mixing the roasted sweet potatoes with the black bean mixture creates a wonderful salad that can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature. If you need a less spicy option, some broccoli can be added to the pan and roasted with the sweet potatoes for the final 12-15 minutes of cooking.

Allow at least 30 minutes to roast the chicken pieces and approximately 25 minutes to roast the sweet potatoes.

Note that the cooking temperature of 375°F (190°C) is the ideal temperature in my 24” oven. For larger capacity ovens, a slightly higher cooking temperature of 400–425°F (205–220°C) may be required.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken

6 bone-in chicken thighs

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt

4 tbsp orange juice

Zest of 1 orange

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

For the sweet potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in half lengthwise, then cut into thick ½” chunks

2 tbsp olive oil

For the black beans

1 can black beans, rinsed and dried

1 small jalapeno, seeds removed, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

PREPARATION

Heat the oven in the Convection Roast or Convection Bake mode to 375°F (190°C)

Place the chicken in a glass pan, combine the dry ingredients, and rub them into the chicken. Combine the juices, zest, and olive oil, then add to the pan and turn the chicken to coat evenly. Set the chicken aside to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours. Prior to cooking, arrange the chicken pieces on a shallow-rimmed baking pan.

Meanwhile, toss the sweet potatoes with the oil and spread them onto a rimmed baking pan.

Place the pans in the oven, with the chicken on the middle rack and the sweet potatoes on the lower rack, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove the potatoes if they are slightly caramelized on the edges and soft in the center, and set aside to cook for a few minutes before gently combining with the black bean mixture.

Serves 4