Lemon Chicken & Potatoes: A Simple and Easy Dinner Meal.
This is a delicious and easy dish. It’s great for weeknight dinners with the family, or even to serve at your next dinner party. A colorful meal for chicken and potatoes!
A single sheet pan is used to bake Yukon gold potatoes and substantial chicken thighs until they are browned, soft, and deliciously flavorful.
INGREDIENTS
Boneless Skinless Chicken
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lemon , zested, then sliced into rounds
Zest the lemon before slicing it into rounds. Use either a microplane or zester if you have one; otherwise, use the smallest grater you have.
Cut up the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl with the sliced lemons and olive oil (or butter). Toss until everything is well coated with oil/butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3 tablespoons olive oil
Olive oil is a good source of monounsaturated fat and vitamin E, which helps you stay healthy. It’s also a good choice if you’re avoiding red meat because it has less saturated fat than other types of vegetable oils.
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Dried oregano is a common ingredient in Mediterranean cooking. It’s more potent than fresh oregano and can be used to replace the latter at a 1:1 ratio.
Kosher salt and black pepper
Next, we’ll add a few spices to our chicken—kosher salt and black pepper. Kosher salt is larger than table salt and thus easier to measure and sprinkle evenly over your food. It also has a more coarse texture that makes it ideal for seasoning meats such as chicken or steak before cooking. You can find kosher salt in the spice aisle at the grocery store, usually next to the table salts or near those little packets of seasonings like garlic powder or onion powder.
6 cloves garlic , finely chopped or grated
Garlic is a key ingredient in many Greek dishes, and this recipe uses it to add rich flavor to lemon chicken. If you don’t already have garlic cloves on hand, simply use a garlic press or mince them finely with a sharp knife before sprinkling over the dish.
4-5 sprigs fresh oregano or thyme , leaves stripped from the stems (optional)
This is a really flavorful herb addition. If you don’t have any on hand, use dried oregano or thyme instead.
1 pound baby potatoes , halved if large
- 1 pound baby potatoes , halved if large
- 1 medium red onion , chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
1/4 cup chicken broth or water (optional)
1/4 cup chicken broth or water (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
Recipe information
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
Tips
To ensure that the potatoes are soft by the time the chicken is fully cooked, dice them pretty finely. Even so, you may take the chicken to a platter, put the potatoes back in the oven, and bake them for an additional 10 minutes if necessary. The finest flavor comes from using fresh ingredients. Fresh garlic, lemon, and herbs are always preferred over bottled or dried versions.
If the chicken hasn’t already browned, broil it for a few minutes to add extra color. An instant read food thermometer inserted into the thermal center of a chicken thigh (without contacting the bone) should register 165 degrees to indicate that the chicken is cooked through. You’ll adore the vibrant Greek flavors featured here, as well as how simple the cleanup is.
To top it off, you can choose to serve it with a steamed vegetable, like I have done in this instance. For a beautiful flash of color, I definitely recommend something green like green beans, broccoli, or asparagus. Additionally, they go exceptionally well with the lemony baking sheet drippings.
Additionally, if you do have additional time, you can never go wrong with handmade dinner rolls that are buttery and flavorful (I save any excess in the freezer).
The lemon zest adds a lot of flavor to this dish, so don’t skip it. If you want to make this recipe even heartier, serve over rice or pasta.