Lime Spice Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Beets and Corn

This is a wonderful recipe and since having developed it, it has become one of our family’s favorite. The spice mix with the lime zest and the splash of lime juice on the chicken gives the chicken a certain very special something! Trust me when I say you must make this recipe and it will become a favourite in your home too. I roasted sweet potatoes, beets and then added corn in to roast after a few minutes as well to keep it tender and moist – the corn can go in with the sweet potatoes and beets if you want the corn really roasted. This combination is rather unconventional and works really well. The colour on your plate is beautiful and the nutrition you will consume is wonderful and so healthful!

Sweet potato is a regulator of blood sugar and helps with insulin resistance, the potassium in a sweet potato is good for heart health, the beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant and good for eye health with the Vit A it contains. Sweet potatoes contain high concentrations of choline which reduces inflammation in the body.

Beets are high in fiber, folate (a member of the B vitamin family – B9) is essential for cell function and is essential for healthy tissue growth and cell function, manganese, potassium which is good for heart health, iron which carries oxygen to your red blood cells, and the antioxidant and immune boosting VitC.

Corn has a high fiber content with helps with digestion and elimination of toxins in our bodies. Corn is a source of a range of VitB’s, zinc, copper, iron, magnesium and manganese as well as being a good source of antioxidants that promote eye health: carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin

As always, when you make this recipe, please post a photo of your Lime Spice Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Beets and Corn goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!

Prep Time: 20 minutes / Cook time: 40 minutes / Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Gluten Free Flour (or regular all-purpose flour)

• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder

• ¼ teaspoon Chili Powder

• 1/8 teaspoon Ground Sage

• 1 Lime – zest and juice separate

• Pinch of Lemon Zest

• ¼ teaspoon Herbamare or Sea Salt (Herbamare, available at Costco, health food stores and many grocery stores)

• A Few Grinds of Fresh Black Pepper

• 6-8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1 Medium-Large Sweet Potato – peeled and cubed

• 3 Medium Beets – peeled and cubed

• 1½ Cups Corn Nibblets/Kernels – fresh, canned or frozen (thawed)

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• Herbamare or Sea Salt and Grinds of Black pepper – to taste - optional

How It’s Made

• Preheat your oven to 400°F.

• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, the garlic and onion powders, the chili powder, the ground sage, the lime zest and the pinch of lemon zest.

• Take a chicken thigh and put it in the flour mixture turning it to make sure it is covered in the flour mixture. Shake any excess flour mixture off.

• If you have a shallow roasting pan that it safe for both stove top and oven use, use it. If you have separate frying pan and an oven safe dish, use those. Heat the oil over medium heat on the stove top in either the roasting pan or the frying pan.

• When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan and cook until all the pieces are golden-brown on both sides – about 8-10 minutes. Season with a few grindings of pepper and the Herbamare or sea salt. Drizzle the chicken with the lime juice.

• Place the roasting pan, uncovered, into the oven. If you used a frying pan, place the golden-brown chicken pieces in your oven proof safe dish and place it into the oven. Cook the chicken for another 30 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through after the 30 minutes in the oven but check by either cutting into a thigh to make sure the juices run clear or use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is 165°F (74°C). Remove from the oven when done.

• Now to make the roasted veggies!

• Prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet.

• Add a tablespoon of oil to a medium sized bowl and drop in the sweet potato cubes. Toss to coat them in the oil. Put them on the baking sheet.

• Do the same with the cubed beets – put the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the bowl and drop in the beets, tossing them in the oil to ensure they are coated. Put these on the baking sheet.

• Season with some grindings of fresh pepper and a pinch of Herbamare or sea salt if you wish.

• You can add the corn to the baking sheet now too if you want it roasted and slightly browned – which is delicious. Or you can add the corn after the sweet potatoes and beets have baked for 10 minutes for heated through corn that is less roasted – also delicious.

• Move the dish with the chicken to the side and slide the baking sheet with the veggies in beside it. Cook for 20-25 minutes.

• The veggies and the chicken should be done at the same time. Test the veggies by poking a sharp knife into a cube of sweet potato and a cube of beet – the knife should slide in easily.

• Remove both the chicken dish and the roasted veggies from the oven and serve!

• Enjoy!

Variations:

• Roast any veggies of your choice to accompany the chicken. Fingerling potatoes - halved, broccoli florets, cauliflower pieces, kohlrabi slices, carrot fries or rounds… Just follow the instructions of coating the veggie in some olive oil to help it roast to perfection.

• If you have a little more lime juice, a small splash over the chicken once cooked adds that additional hit of lime flavour which is really nice, if you like lime!