Herbed Roast Chicken and Potatoes
This is a very easy dish that is sure to please everyone every time. It takes about 10 minutes of prep time and 50 minutes of cooking time. It’s best to use skin-on chicken, as the fat will lend a magical flavor to the potatoes. Sometimes I do another version of this dish, but cook as a braise and not a roast. In the other version, I add chicken stock and cover the skillet to cook over the stove top instead of the oven.
What you’ll need:
- 2 tbsp. of olive oil
- 1 tsp. of crushed red pepper or paprika (half for potatoes and half for chicken)
- 1 tsp. dried thyme (half for potatoes and half for chicken)
- 1 tbsp. herbs de Provence (half for potatoes and half for chicken)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 pounds of chicken (I used two pieces each of bone in-skin on breasts and thighs).
- 1 1/2 pounds of baby potatoes or fingerlings with skin left on and cut in half
- 6 cloves of garlic peeled and left whole
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a large heavy cast iron skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, season the chicken on both sides with crushed red pepper, thyme, herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. Add chicken to the skillet and brown both sides, about five minutes on each side. Put chicken aside, add the potatoes to brown in the skillet. Season the potatoes with the same seasoning as the chicken – crushed red pepper, thyme, herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. I like to put the cut side down to brown nicely with the chicken fat. Sauté for about 5-10 minutes. Add garlic and stir potatoes. Return the chicken to the skillet and place in oven. Roast for about 35 minutes.
Serve the roast chicken and potatoes with greens of some sort. I made this with balsamic sautéed sugar snap peas.
Sarelle Plays 