Easy Baked Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
There’s something about this time of year, when autumn hits the air, that makes a cozy sheet pan dinner seem just right. It’s just hearty, homestyle meat and potatoes goodness. Not only is this one pan chicken and potatoes recipe undeniably easy, it’s also a dinner that’s brimming with well balanced, bright and rich flavor. It’s an all in one, no fuss recipe. You just toss the potatoes with a half of a homemade simple lemon dressing, then the toss the chicken with remainder. Spread everything over a baking sheet and roast until it’s all cooked through. You’ll love the fresh Greek style flavors found here, and of course that easy clean up too! If you’d like, you can pair with a steamed vegetable to finish it off (as I’ve done here). I highly recommend something green for a nice pop of color such as green beans, broccoli or asparagus. Those also happen to pair really well with the lemony drippings from the baking sheet. And if you do happen to have extra time on your hands, you can never go wrong with buttery homemade dinner rolls to highlight a meal (I stash any extras in the freezer!).
Baked Lemon Chicken and Potatoes Recipe Ingredients
6 large (7 oz each) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs 1/4 cup olive oil 1 Tbsp lemon zest 1/4 cup lemon juice 2 Tbsp minced garlic 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or oregano 5 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 2/3-inch cubes
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How to Make This Easy Baked Chicken and Potatoes Recipe
Possible Variations
Use chicken breasts: For those of you who don’t like chicken thighs, you can use chicken breasts. Smaller bone-in skin-on would be preferred but they can be harder to find so you can use boneless skinless but they won’t brown. Test to 165 in center for doneness and remove boneless breasts early (they’ll likely only take around 25 minutes). Or use chicken drumsticks: Drumsticks will be great in place of the thighs, I recommend using larger drumsticks. Try other herbs: Oregano, dill, basil, or sage are all great flavors here with lemony chicken. Substitute red potatoes: Diced red potatoes can be used in place of Yukon gold. Include another vegetable: You could reduce the potatoes to 1 1/2 lbs then include 1 lb of another vegetable such as Brussels sprouts or carrots.
Helpful Tips for the Best Baked Chicken and Potatoes Recipe
Dice the potatoes fairly small or they won’t be tender by the time the chicken is cooked through. Still if you find that potatoes aren’t tender even by the 45 minutes, you can remove the chicken to a plate, then return potatoes to the oven and bake 10 more minutes. Use fresh ingredients for the best flavor. Fresh garlic, lemon and herbs are all highly recommended rather than bottled/dried. Broil the chicken for the last few minutes for more color if it hasn’t browned already. Test chicken thighs for doneness by inserting an instant read food thermometer into thermal center (not touching bone), it should register 165 degrees. Optionally, you can brush away any burnt pieces of garlic from the top surface of the chicken (it will have seasoned it nicely but doesn’t taste good once browned). Broiling browns the skin nicely but also the garlic too.
Reheating Tip
When reheating individual servings in the microwave, it’s best to reheat chicken at 50% power so it doesn’t get tough. You could also reheat leftover portions in at 350 degree oven in a greased baking dish, covered with foil, until heated through.
More Chicken and Potatoes Recipes
Autumn Chicken Dinner Chicken Pot Pie Soup Chicken Stew One Pan Cajun Chicken and Veggies Roasted Chicken and Veggies with Garlic Herb Vinaigrette Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
