Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Artichokes and Lemon

I loved the cooking magazine Fine Cooking.  Some of my favorite recipes have come from this magazine.  The magazine is no longer published, but I have kept quite a few of the issues and special magazines to go back to every now and then.

Last week we had our BFF foodie friends in for the week and I decided to give this recipe a try.  And as all Fine Cooking recipes go, it did not disappoint.

1⁄4 cup plus 3 tbsp olive oil

4 large chicken thighs

salt and pepper

1(10 ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts

1lemon

1lb small potato, such as baby Yukon golds (cut in half if over 2 inches)

4 small sprigs fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 450.

Lightly oil a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet. Put the chicken thighs on the baking sheet with plenty of room in between them. Season well with salt and pepper and roast in the hot oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the artichokes from their package and rinse them in a colander under warm water to separate them and to begin to thaw them (it's fine if they're still partially frozen when you roast them.) Drain them well.

Thinly slice half the lemon and juice the other half. Measure 4 tsp of the juice into a small bowl and whisk in 3 Tbsp of the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put the artichokes in a large bowl with the potatoes, thyme sprigs, lemon slices, the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Toss to coat well.

When the thighs have roasted for 15 minutes, take the baking sheet out of the oven. Dump the artichokes, potatoes, and lemon slices onto the baking sheet in the empty spots surrounding the thighs. Try to distribute things more or less evenly and in a single layer so the vegetables get nicely browned.

 Keep the lemon slices toward the center of the pan so they don't burn.

Continue roasting until the chicken skin is crisp, the meat cooked through, and the artichokes and potatoes are tender and browned, about 30-40 minutes. 

Divide the thigs and vegetables among four plates. Drizzle each serving with the lemon vinaigrette.