A weeknight dinner built on bottled maple barbecue sauce, slicked onto chicken thighs and roasted with potatoes and onions until the skin is sticky and caramelized. The sauce carries enough spice and acid to stand alone, needing only time in a hot oven to develop flavour.

Serves 2. 45 minutes, 10 at the stove.

About 690 calories a serving, 33 g protein, 79 g carbohydrate, 26 g fat. From USDA figures for 100% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Heat your oven to 425°F [220°C]. Cut 1 pound small potatoes into halves and chop 1 medium red onion into large chunks; toss them in a large roasting pan with 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper, then spread in one layer and roast for 12 minutes while you prepare the chicken.12 min
2. Pat 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Stir together 1 cup maple barbecue sauce with 3 minced garlic cloves. Remove the pan from the oven, push the vegetables to the sides, nestle the thighs skin-side up in the centre, then brush generously with the sauce.
3. Roast until the chicken skin is mahogany brown and crispy, about 20 to 25 minutes, brushing with any remaining sauce halfway through. The thighs are done when a knife inserted at the thickest part near the bone meets no resistance.23 min

Note Swap chicken breasts or pork chops if preferred, reducing the roasting time by 5 minutes. Leftovers keep refrigerated for three days and reheat well in a 350°F [175°C] oven. Serve with coleslaw or a sharp green salad to cut the sweetness.