One-tray chicken with sweet potato wedges and chimichurri recipe
Crispy chicken and sticky sweet potatoes makes for a sure-fire winner. The herb-filled chimichurri drizzle (an Argentinian-style sauce) is the real star – it can be made in advance, and I recommend making double to have it on hand to drizzle over fried eggs, spread in sandwiches or add to a simple black-bean soup.
Timings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves
4
Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 600g), scrubbed but not peeled
4 tbsp olive oil, melted ghee or coconut oil
4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
For the chimichurri
handful of coriander, leaves and stems
handful of chives or spring onions
handful of parsley, leaves and stems
1 large garlic clove, chopped
chilli flakes or green chilli, chopped, to taste
1 tsp dried oregano or thyme
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon or lime juice
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.
Cut the sweet potatoes into chunky wedges, then toss with two tablespoons of oil, three quarters of a teaspoon of sea salt and a big pinch of pepper. Roast in your largest tray for 35 minutes (or use two medium-sized trays if you don’t have a very big roasting tray, as you want to space them out), adding the chicken thighs with two tablespoons of oil and a teaspoon of salt after 10 minutes. By the end of the cooking time, the sweet potatoes should be starting to char slightly at the edges and the chicken should be cooked through.
To make the chimichurri by hand, finely chop the herbs, garlic and chilli (if using fresh). Mix everything together in a bowl with salt and pepper, then taste for seasoning and chilli. Alternatively, blitz roughly in a food processor.
Transfer the sweet-potato wedges and chicken thighs to a plate and drizzle over the chimichurri, or serve the chimichurri on the side and dip in the wedges.
