🌎 The World Cookbook

For chicken and spice rub:
6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (about 2.5 pounds total)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder (not baking soda!!)
2 teaspoons paprika (smoked or regular)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
For rest of sheet pan:
2 medium crowns of broccoli (about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds in total), thinly sliced into small florets
1 16-ounce can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil from sun-dried tomato container
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons finely diced preserved lemon peel (from one-half preserved lemon)
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
A few wedges of lemon, if desired

Heat oven to 500° F. Place empty sheet pan in the oven while it heats (no parchment or oil needed). Dry chicken well with paper towels. Mix together salt, black pepper, baking powder, paprika, and cumin in a small bowl. Season chicken thighs evenly with the spice rub (on both sides and under the skin). Let it rest uncovered (skin-side up) at room temperature while the oven heats up. Drizzle olive oil evenly across the skin. Carefully transfer the chicken thighs, skin-side down, to the preheated sheet pan. You’ll hear the chicken sizzle as it hits the pan. Immediately lower heat to 425° F and continue roasting for 15 minutes (set a timer). Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss broccoli, chickpeas, and sun-dried tomatoes with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil (from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes) until evenly coated. Remove the pan from the oven when the timer goes off. Flip the chicken so it’s skin-side up (the skin should be starting to crisp and brown in spots), and evenly scatter the preserved lemon peel in the pan drippings. Add broccoli mixture, distributing it as evenly as possible amongst the chicken thighs (it’ll be a full pan but everything should fit). Continue roasting for another 10 minutes (set the timer again!). When the timer goes off, scatter the Parmesan evenly over the dish, and check the chicken for doneness (target temperature is 165° F in the thickest parts). Continue roasting for another 5 to 10 minutes, if needed, or until the chicken is done. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Taste a piece of the broccoli; if it’s not yet tender, remove the chicken to a plate and return the sheet pan to the oven while the chicken rests, stirring the broccoli, chickpeas, and sun-dried tomatoes well. Adjust seasoning to taste, and serve warm with lemon wedges on the side (if using).