Recipes

Maple-glazed Chicken with Kale and Sweet Potatoes

Kale is in season, so take advantage of this super healthy vegetable alongside beta-carotene-rich sweet potatoes and crispy-skinned, maple-glazed chicken for dinner tonight!

By Catherine RBarr /

Credit: Catherine Roscoe Barr

Placing chicken on a rack inside the roasting pan helps keep the skin nice and crispy

Next time the sun refuses to come out, treat yourself to this delicious roast chicken dinner – or use your BBQ to create the same healthy meal

Unfortunately, there have been too many days this summer that have warranted turning on the oven.

The good news is that delicious things come out of the oven, specifically this crispy-skinned chicken with healthy sweet potatoes and kale – perfect fare for encouraging a svelte bikini body.

And, according to a recent BBC article, “the idea that exercise is more important than diet in the fight against obesity has been contradicted by new research.”

This food-loving fitness fanatic has realized that sad fact for years: nutrition plays a larger role in your figure than does exercise.

I say it’s sad because I love cinnamon buns, soda, ice cream and booze, but the redeeming quality of healthy foods is that much of them taste even more amazing than the naughty ones when sourced and prepared correctly – fresh, free-range, local and sustainable foods with minimal meddling are the way to go.

I can’t imagine anyone not devouring this sweet potato and kale duo, it’s dynamite!

This meal serves 6

Chicken Ingredients

  • 1 whole free-range chicken
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp seasoning salt

Vegetable Ingredients

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 bunch kale, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Rub chicken with oil and syrup and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
  3. Cook, covered, for 40 minutes on rack in roasting pan so it gets nice and crispy.
  4. Baste and cook, uncovered, for another 20 minutes or until no longer pink in middle and juices run clear.
  5. Meanwhile, in large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with oil and salt.
  6. Place on baking sheet in single layer and cook in oven for last 45 minutes of chicken’s cooking time.
  7. When there are about 15 minutes left of chicken’s cooking time, heat olive oil in large frying pan over medium heat.
  8. Cook garlic until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes, and then add kale, stirring to combine until it wilts.
  9. Add water to steam kale, and continue cooking until water has evaporated, about 3 minutes.
  10. Combine kale and sweet potatoes in large serving platter and serve immediately with chicken.