Roasted Half Chicken with Pear & Thyme

Toss onion and pear on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, remaining thyme, ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Arrange in middle of sheet in a single layer. (For 4, arrange across entire sheet.)

Pat chicken* dry with paper towels; rub all over with a drizzle of oil. (See a feather? Grip the end using a paper towel and pull!) Season all over with thyme mixture. Place chicken, skin side up, on top of onion and pear. (For 4, add chicken to a second baking sheet.)

Roast chicken, onion, and pear on top rack until chicken is browned and cooked through and onion and pear are tender, 35-45 minutes. (For 4 servings, roast chicken on top rack and onion and pear on middle rack.) TIP: If chicken skin begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil.

Once chicken is done, transfer to a plate to rest. TIP: To ensure chicken is cooked through, insert a thermometer into the innermost part of the thigh and breast (avoiding any bones). Once chicken is cooked, the bones may still appear pink—this is OK!

While chicken, onion, and pear roast, dice potatoes into ½-inch pieces (peel if desired). Trim green beans if necessary.

Place potatoes in a medium pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes.

Reserve ½ cup potato cooking liquid, then drain and return potatoes to pot. Mash with sour cream and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until smooth and creamy, adding splashes of reserved potato cooking liquid as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.

While potatoes cook, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add green beans and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring constantly, until coated in oil, 30 seconds.

Carefully add ¼ cup plain water (½ cup for 4 servings) and cover with a lid. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until green beans begin to soften and turn bright green in color and liquid has evaporated, 1-2 minutes.

Turn off heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer green beans to a medium bowl.

Once onion and pear are cooked, carefully transfer to pan used for green beans.

To pan with onion and pear, add ⅓ cup plain water, stock concentrate, half the mustard, and 1 TBSP butter (½ cup plain water, all the mustard, and 2 TBSP butter for 4 servings). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sauce is glossy and thick, 1-3 minutes (if any resting juices from chicken have accumulated on plate, add to sauce for extra flavor!).