Simple Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
The ultimate in Friday night or Sunday dinner comfort food – roasted chicken and potatoes. The chicken is moist and flavorful, but it’s the potatoes that are outstanding. They absorb the juices from the chicken, lemon, onion and garlic – and taste sublime. You do not want to miss them.
This one pan meal is simple and rustic. Nothing fancy. Just delish.
I’m not going to lie. I make this a lot. You get juicy roast chicken but the best part, hands down, is the potatoes, infused with delicious chicken juices.
The prep is easy and the hands on time is minimal. As always, there are lots of variations and substitutes you can try.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Chicken
- I prefer using a flattened or spatchcock chicken to a whole roasted chicken as it cooks quicker and I find it stays juicier than chicken pieces like chicken breasts or chicken thighs. You can, however, use a whole chicken or pieces if you like. Just adjust the cooking time (more for whole chicken, a bit less for chicken pieces.
- Brining the chicken before roasting will make it moister and juicier. If you have the time, I think it’s worth it. Instructions are in the recipe notes. Alternatively, buy a kosher chicken which is already brined.
Potatoes
- Yukon gold, red potatoes or baby potatoes will all work well. Just cut them about the same thickness for more even cooking.
Vegetables
- Add peeled and sliced carrots (1/2 inch/1.27cm thick) to the potatoes and onions.
- Use any onions you like – green onions, sweet onions or red onions.
Seasoning
- Use whatever seasoning blend you like best.
- Try Moroccan flavors with curry powder, cumin and cinnamon for example. Or Italian seasonings if you like.
- If you don’t like lemon, feel free to skip it.
Step by step instructions
Shortcuts
- Buy a pre-seasoned chicken or a pre-mixed chicken rub.
- Ask a butcher to spatchcock/flatten the chicken for you. Or buy a flattened chicken, available in most larger grocery chains. It will be a bit more expensive but save you the trouble of doing it yourself. (It’s pretty easy though)
- Buy kosher chicken, already brined, so you don’t have to bother.
Make Ahead
- The roast chicken and potatoes can be prepared several hours ahead and roasted when you need them.
- Keep leftovers in the fridge up to 3-4 days.
- To rewarm, see instructions in the recipe notes.
What to serve with roast chicken and potatoes
All you need to complete this one pan chicken and potatoes meal is a salad and/or vegetable.
Some good options that will share the oven in the final step are: roasted baby cauliflower or easy roasted bok choy and broccoli.
Or try roasted honey glazed carrots, peach salad with walnut dressing or a green salad with mango salad dressing.
Recipe FAQs
What is a spatchcock chicken?
Spatchcocking a chicken means removing the back bone and pressing the chicken flat. You will also see other names for a spatchcock chicken like flattened or butterflied chicken. The advantages are that the chicken cooks much faster (about 30-50% faster) and more evenly. And the skin gets crispier because it’s more exposed to the heat. The chicken is also much easier to cut for serving.
Should I brine the chicken before roasting it?
If you have the time, it’s a great idea to brine a chicken because it will make the chicken more moist and flavorful. You can use a wet brine or dry brine. Kosher chickens are already brined, so if you can snag one where you live, you can skip the brining. Bon Appetit has a good article on types of brines and how to do it including 31 brine recipes . I keep it super simple with instructions in the recipe notes.
Will there be drippings to make a gravy?
No, most of the drippings will be soaked into the potatoes which is why they taste so darn good. You can, however, make a quick 5 minute gravy found in this roast chicken breast and gravy recipe.
Other oven roasted chicken recipes you might like
- balsamic glazed chicken
- apricot chicken recipe
- baked chicken leg quarters with sweet tangy glaze
- baked chicken with cream of mushroom soup
- roast chicken breast with gravy
- Moroccan chicken with sweet potatoes
- spatchcock chicken with teriyaki glaze
- oven baked chicken wings (crispy with honey garlic sauce)
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Simple Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
The ultimate in Friday night or Sunday dinner comfort food – roasted chicken and potatoes. The chicken is moist and flavorful, but it's the potatoes that are outstanding. They absorb the juices from the chicken, lemon, onion and garlic – and taste sublime.
Servings: 4 (or 3 if small chicken)
Equipment
- large cast iron skillet or roasting pan
Ingredients
- 1 spatchcock (flattened) chicken, Note 1 (about 3-4 lbs/1.36-1.8kg)
- 1/2 medium to large onion, peeled, sliced, about 1 cup/52g (or 1/2 cup/50g chopped green onions)
- 1 1/4 pounds (0.6kg) potatoes, cut into wedges, Note 2 3/4-1 inch thick (2-2.5cm)
- 1 lemon, zested (you need lemon slices and zest)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
- 1/2 cup (118ml) water
Seasoning
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon EACH, garlic powder, dried thyme and kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Brine (optional)
- 4 cups cool water; 3 tablespoons kosher salt; 1 tablespoon sugar; 5 peppercorns; 1 garlic clove; and 1 teaspoon of dried herbs of your choice (simpler version: use just the water and salt)
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN to 425F/218C. Spray skillet or roasting pan with oil.
- BRINE CHICKEN (OPTIONAL): Note 3
- PREPARE CHICKEN AND POTATOES: In a small bowl, mix all seasoning ingredients. Season with 3/4 of mixture on top of the chicken and under the skin (gently separate skin from meat). Place chicken, skin side up, in center of skillet (or roasting pan). Sprinkle lemon zest over chicken. Place potatoes around the chicken and tuck in the onions and garlic. Use clean hands to toss with remaining seasoning mixture. Tuck slices of lemon among vegetables. Add water to bottom of pan.
- ROAST: Roast chicken in oven for 35-45 minutes, depending on size, or until instant meat thermometer reads 155F-160F/71C (it will rise to 165F/73.8C with resting). Remove chicken from oven, transfer to plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Let chicken rest for 15-20 minutes to keep juices in chicken.
- FINISH POTATOES: While chicken is resting, toss potatoes gently with pan juices, sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon salt if needed, then place skillet of potatoes back into oven for 15 minutes to brown and crisp up further (sometimes I crank up the oven temperature to 450F/232C). If desired, make a quick gravy, Note 4.
- SLICE AND SERVE: Cut chicken into quarters or eighths. Serve with potatoes (remove lemon slices) and optional gravy if you like. Garnish with fresh thyme or fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice if you like.
Video
Recipe Notes
- How to spatchcock a chicken: Cut along both sides of the backbone. Remove it. Then turn over the chicken and press down firmly on the breast to flatten it. Here is a video on how to spatchcock a chicken.
- Potatoes: Use Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes, cut into wedges. You can also use new potatoes cut in half or quarters depending on size.
- To Brine Chicken (optional): Put all brine ingredients (or just salt, sugar and water) in a ziploc sealed bag or container. Mix well to dissolve. Submerge chicken fully in liquid. Let brine in fridge for 2-5 hours in fridge. Then rinse and pat chicken dry. Bring chicken to room temperature for more even cooking.
- How to make an easy gravy: I like to use full strength broth (like Campbell’s) which means you add your own water. This way I control the depth of flavor. Low salt broth is fine. If you are using homemade broth or ready-to-use broth in a box, omit the water in recipe and add an extra 1/2 cup of broth. You can also substitute broth for the sherry/wine. Instructions: Put 2-3 tablespoons of oil into a small saucepan. Heat to medium high. Add 2 tbsp chopped green onions and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in 3 tbsp flour, reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes. (It should be a loose paste. If too dry, add a bit more oil). Add sherry (optional) and cook another 2 minutes, stirring. Add 2 cups broth (or combination broth/water) and whisk until smooth. Add 1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tbsp fresh) and salt and black pepper to taste. Tip: If you like your gravy darker, add a teaspoon of light soy sauce.
- Seasoning variations
- Use whatever seasoning blend you like best.
- Try Moroccan flavors with curry powder, cumin and cinnamon for example. Or Italian seasonings if you like.
- If you don’t like lemon, feel free to skip it.
- Garnish with sprigs of thyme or fresh rosemary for a special occasion.
- Make Ahead
- The chicken and potatoes can be prepared several hours ahead and roasted when you need them.
- Keep leftovers in the fridge up to 3-4 days.
- To rewarm, leave chicken on at room temperature for 30 minutes if possible. Then add a tablespoon or so or water or broth to the dish and either:
- Microwave: Rewarm the chicken in the microwave, covered, for 2-3 minutes on high (or more if needed).
- Oven: Rewarm in a 350F/176C oven, well covered with foil until heated through, about 20 minutes.
- The chicken will not have a crispy skin, but should still be moist.
- Potatoes can be reheated separately, uncovered, in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until heated through.
Nutrition
Calories: 649kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 743mg | Potassium: 1099mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 776IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?We’d love you to rate it above under ‘rate this recipe’ or in the comment section below. Thanks!
I love this recipe. Made it last night during a snowstorm – was true comfort food! I added some sliced parsnips to the potatoes for extra sweetness.
We really appreciate the comment Fran. Glad you liked the chicken. The potatoes are my favorite 🙂