roasted chicken with carrots, onions, and thyme

This week's CSA box includes a beautiful bunch of carrots. I have always loved carrots (except when I was pregnant, when cooked carrots absolutely turned my stomach), but the carrots that come from our CSA are above and beyond the carrots you get at the grocery store. If you can grow carrots yourself or purchase them from a farmer's market, you really should, because the difference is amazing. I don't peel my carrots - just scrub them well under cold running water, leaving an earthy flavor and texture intact.


My friends know that I have been a vegetarian in the past but am currently eating some meat if I can find locally, humanely raised products (which is easy to do around here). I feel the need to preface any recipe including meat with that statement, because I still have a lot of internal conflict going on about eating meat. That being said, this recipe, adapted from a Martha Stewart Food recipe, is delicious. I purchased bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts from Alison's Family Farms, and they are humanely raised in North Carolina and free of antibiotics and hormones.

This easy dish made leftovers for our small family - we had two meals out of it, plus I'll be making chicken salad and stock from the leftovers. Great for fall!

roasted chicken with carrots, onions, and thyme

two bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
5 or 6 fresh carrots, scrubbed, trimmed, and halved lengthwise (halve again if large)
1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into eighths
6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved if large
2 - 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
salt
pepper
several sprigs fresh thyme



Preheat oven to 450. Spread the onions, carrots, and garlic in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Place chicken breasts, skin side up, on top of vegetables. Rub skin with a tablespoon or two of butter. Season with salt and pepper and top with fresh thyme sprigs. Bake for about 40 - 50 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and instant-read thermometer measures 165.