Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Root Vegetables

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Cut the potatoes, with their skins on, into 4 cm pieces and the carrots into 5 cm batons. Peel the celeriac and cut it into 3 cm cubes. Peel the shallots and leave them whole. Lightly crush the garlic cloves, leaving their skins on.

Put the vegetables in a wide bowl. Add 30 ml of the olive oil, 6 g of the salt, and half the thyme; toss with your hands until every piece is coated in oil. Spread them in a single layer on a 30 × 40 cm baking sheet.

Pat the thighs thoroughly dry with paper towels. Mix the remaining olive oil and salt with the thyme, sweet paprika, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Rub the seasoning over every side of the thighs, working some under the skin with your fingers.

Set the thighs on top of the vegetables, skin side up, leaving about a finger’s width between them. No part of a thigh should touch the bare baking sheet.

Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 35 minutes. The undersides of the vegetables should begin to brown, and the fat from the chicken should start sizzling on the bottom of the pan.

Move the pan to the upper rack and roast for 15 minutes more, until the skin is deep golden and blistered. Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh without touching the bone. If it has not reached 74°C / 165°F, continue roasting in 5-minute increments.

Divide the chicken and vegetables among plates. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins and toss them with the vegetables. Cut the lemon into wedges and serve alongside.