One-Pot Wonders

One-Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Tarragon

by:
October  4, 2022
5
5 Ratings
One-Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Tarragon
Photo by Alexandra Stafford
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This dish was inspired by a recipe in the March 2017 Bon Appetit that calls for marinating chicken thighs in mayonnaise (and a few other ingredients I did not have on hand), which encourages browning while keeping the meat juicy — it works! There's no marinating here, however — everything gets thrown into the pan at once, and 45 minutes later it emerges beautifully golden. A shower of herbs at the end adds some welcomed color and freshness.

Re: potatoes, I've been using a 1.5-ib bag of "Honey Golds—One Bite" that I find at my local grocery store. You can use fingerlings, too, but you should halve them lengthwise to ensure they cook through. —Alexandra Stafford

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1.5 pounds small potatoes, see notes above
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced, to yield about a cup
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • a few tablespoons finely chopped herbs, such as tarragon, chives, or parsley
Directions
  1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 450ºF. Place the potatoes, onion, olive oil, and water in a large skillet. Season all over with salt. Crack pepper over top to taste. Toss to combine.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and the mustard. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat on all sides. Season all over with salt and pepper. Nestle the thighs on top of/in between the potatoes. Crack more pepper over top if you wish.
  3. Transfer pan to the oven uncovered and cook for 45 minutes or until evenly golden, checking after 30 minutes to ensure everything is browning evenly — if the onions are getting too dark, add a few more tablespoons of water to the pan.
  4. Sprinkle tarragon or herb of choice all over the roasted chicken and potatoes. Transfer chicken to a platter. Toss potatoes with herbs and remaining juices in the pan. Taste. Adjust with more salt or pepper if necessary. Spoon potatoes around chicken on the platter. Serve.
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  • Lauren Balog
    Lauren Balog
  • JoyceB
    JoyceB
  • LisaD
    LisaD
  • Alexandra Stafford
    Alexandra Stafford
Alexandra Stafford
I write the blog alexandra's kitchen, a place for mostly simple, sometimes fussy, and always seasonal recipes. My cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs is available everywhere books are sold.

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11 Reviews

Lauren B.
Lauren B. March 6, 2020
Omitted some potatoes for brussel sprouts and used red onion - on a sheet pan this cooked wonderfully! Also thyme over tarragon as it was on hand. Easy and delicious!
 
Linda D.
Linda D. September 30, 2019
Thank you, Alexandra for a simple, savory meal. Yum! Like others, I used boneless chicken thighs.
 
denise&food
denise&food September 10, 2019
It was so delicious!
Used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Adjust timing. It was easy and very good!
 
Peg
Peg March 18, 2019
This was absolutely delicious! I loved the addition of tarragon!
 
d4v1d
d4v1d February 5, 2019
this turned out awesome. (note: i did not have mayonnaise so used Greek yogurt - and it turned out great.)
 
JoyceB
JoyceB November 4, 2017
This is a great recipe and agree with LisaD, a large casserole dish is best and both times I've made it, I've removed the chicken pieces to rest and continued to roast the veg for about 15 extra minutes until the potatoes are cooked. Your mileage may vary depending on the old/newness of the potatoes and the size you cut them.
 
LisaD
LisaD May 13, 2017
For anyone who is making this: I suggest choosing a pan large enough to hold the chicken and the potatoes in one layer. I made this in an Emile Henry casserole just big enough to hold the potato/onion layer underneath the chicken thighs. As a result, the potatoes didn't brown up nicely (and many of them were undercooked even after adding 10 minutes cooking time), and the juices from the chicken didn't evaporate, so there was a fatty, soggy mess in the bottom. The onions didn't brown up and were unappealingly limp and white. The chicken browned up nicely and the flavors were delicious, so I would try this again in a different pan, probably the bottom of the broiler pan that came with the oven.
 
isabel H.
isabel H. April 9, 2017
Delicious! There were potatoes left over so I will use 6 chicken thighs next time. Also, there was quite a bit of oil in the pan; I don't think the olive oil is necessary, as the chicken gives off quite a bit of fat.
 
Alexandra S.
Alexandra S. April 9, 2017
So happy to hear this! You may be right about the oil. I'll experiment with omitting next time.
 
Greg S.
Greg S. April 6, 2017
Think a veggie could be squeezed in? Perhaps broccoli or brussel sprouts?
 
Alexandra S.
Alexandra S. April 6, 2017
Worth a shot! I think Brussels sprouts would be nice here.