Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
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A complete meal in one! Baked crisp-tender chicken with potatoes and spinach, so good!
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I have been using this recipe for years! At least 5! I have tried this with all sorts of chicken (boneless skinless thighs are our favorite, but mostly for ease of cutting with 4 younger kids), but what I came here to say is TRY THIS WITH SWEET POTATOES! We like it with regular, but we substituted one time because it’s all we had and we never went back! Sooo yummy. We dice ours into smaller cubes and layer at the bottom of the dish, making sure chicken and sauce cover/coat the potatoes, and we don’t have a problem with undercooked. It’s delish!
why i love this recipe
- Complete meal-in-one. This hearty chicken dinner has it all! And the potatoes and spinach (or any other leafy greens) are baked right in, soaking up all the flavors of liquid gold (aka pan juices).
- Includes the most heavenly, dreamy garlicky Parmesan cream sauce. This is a cream sauce of dreams – rich, silky and just so so good, coating the chicken and potatoes oh-so-perfectly.
- Impressive and budget-friendly. Using bone-in chicken thighs is inexpensive and so impressive for weekend company or visiting family (added bonus: dark meat is much more flavorful and juicier than white meat).
- Plenty of leftover sauce. The gift of leftover sauce can only mean one thing – you can toss with pasta, toss with rice, toss with all of the things. Or sop with all the crusty bread (my personal favorite).
how to make this impressive yet easy peasy chicken and potato dinner
- Make the garlic parmesan cream sauce until the desired consistency is reached (note: heavy cream will yield a richer sauce)
- Season the chicken and sear until the skin is golden brown and crispy
- Cook the spinach until wilted in the pan juices
- Add everything to a baking dish, roasting until both the chicken and potatoes are cooked through and tender
- Serve, spooning over some of that leftover sauce on anything and everything
tips and tricks for success
- Bone-in is ideal. While boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used with a shorter cooking time, bone-in will be juicier and have extra flavor.
- Brown the chicken first. This will add all the extra, deeper flavors here, sealing all the juices inside, and keeping the chicken nice and crisp while baking.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Make it richer (or lighter). Heavy cream will have a higher fat content than half and half or milk, yielding a thicker consistency. Swap out the half and half for heavy cream for a richer sauce, or whole milk for a lighter sauce.
- Freshly grated Parmesan goes a long way. Pre-packaged shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that can hinder their ability to melt smoothly. Freshly grated cheese is always best, melting more smoothly and evenly, and creating a far superior cream sauce.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
pro tip
Use baby potatoes.
Baby potatoes are ideal here to ensure that they cook through at the same rate as the chicken, yielding evenly cooked, crisp-tender potatoes. Baby potatoes also require minimal prep time and do not require peeling. If using larger potatoes, cut into smaller, uniform pieces to ensure even cooking until soft and tender.
what to serve with Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use fresh herbs instead?
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
What is half and half?
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
What can I substitute for the spinach?
Kale, cabbage, swiss chard and collard greens are all great subs.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
A complete meal in one! Baked crisp-tender chicken with potatoes and spinach, so good!
Video
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 16 ounces baby Dutch potatoes, halved*
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
For the garlic parmesan cream sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth, or more, as needed
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ cup half and half*
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
- Season chicken with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.
- Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet. Stir in spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to wilt, about 2 minutes; set aside.
- Place chicken in a single layer into the prepared baking dish. Top with potatoes, spinach and garlic Parmesan cream sauce.
- Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
For the garlic parmesan cream sauce
- Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in chicken broth, thyme and basil. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in half and half and Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more half and half as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Did you make this recipe?
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Great flavors but cooking times were way off and final product was much soupier than expected. The spinach had all the water cooked out of it i guess by the time the chicken was cooked through. Shredding chicken thighs to turn leftovers into a sort of stew for tomorrow night
Hello!
I baked my potato’s with the garlic Parmesan
sauce Separately
after they were finished I took
Them out the oven
Then baked my boneless chicken leg meat with
the spinach LOVED it! so did my two toddlers!
I love this dish. I make it frequently. Fabulous taste.
Made this for my picky grandkids. And I got rave reviews from them. I sprinkled more Parmesan on top and baked a little longer so it was slightly crispy and golden brown.
It was great, I added mushrooms and wine with a little tomato paste delish, Thank you for the recipe,
Thank you for explaining the half and half. Outside of the states it isn’t an assumed thing. I remember years ago trying to figure out what half and half actually was! It’s up there with a stick of butter. Lol. Took me forever to figure that one out too. 113gm butter. Got it.
Making this tonight. Looks amazing but very easy while being impressive.
Damned delicious as always! Thanks so much for sharing your creation!
Thank you, Lacey!
Made this tonight: SO GOOD!! I used boneless skinless chicken breasts and Yukon gold potatoes because that’s what I had. I diced the potatoes and parboiled for 10 minutes, and cut the chicken into one-inch pieces since i wanted to eat ASAP, haha. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. 20 minutes in the oven and done! 🙂 Definitely a keeper!
Delicious!!! Hubby loved it. Got seconds and told me “Babe, this is really good. You can make this anytime.” He is a super picky eater and I’m surprised he even liked the spinach (unusual).
The only suggestion I have is parboil potatoes or else you will need to bake another 20-25 on 375.
Made this last night. Started the dish, not realizing we were out of potatoes, so I served it with steamed rice instead. That worked out well. Husband and 14 yr old were very pleased. Two
Absolutely delicious! My thighs must have been bigger because I had to bake for about 50 minutes to cook through. Will definitely make again!
Turned out delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!
Our pleasure 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it.
I sort of made this. I didn’t want to pan fry the chicken as it was a busy weeknight so I popped the chicken in the oven with the herbs, made the sauce and poured it over the chicken for the last 10 minutes(total baking was around 45min.) Made spinach and poured some sauce over that too and made baked potatoes. It was delicious!!!
Thanks for your feedback, Carin!
Can you use broccoli instead of spinach?
Yes, of course!
I just made this tonight. It was delicious! I microwaved the cut up potatoes for 4 minutes before adding them and everything came out great. The sauce was very tasty and the chicken was so tender. I baked it at 375 for about 50 minutes.
Oh my gosh this is good! I made it tonight and licked my plate clean. I used chicken breasts because that’s what I had. I also par boiled the potatoes to speed up the cooking. This would be delicious with asparagus on the side. The sauce is amazing. Certainly not the healthiest sauce, but so rich and delicious. We loved it!
NEED TO PRE-MICROWAVE POTATOES!!!
I just making this and I must say that it’s the most delicious dish I’ve EVER made! Thank you so much for sharing this on Facebook! I WILL be making it again and again! My family and I enjoyed it so much!
So yummy!! I parbroiled the potatoes first and then added to the dish and it came out perfectly. Thanks for the suggestion!
I made this exactly as written, and it was DELICIOUS! I didn’t change a thing! My potatoes were already very small, so when I cut them in half, they were, I guess, the perfect size, because they were tender! I think the only thing I’d do next time is to put the sauce in the pan first, so the chicken skins stay crispy! Can’t wait to make it again!
Just found your blog, so now I’m going to check out your other recipes!
I made this dish and my family were literally cleaning their plates! So good!!
Awesome!
I made this tonight. I cut most of the Dutch potatoes in quarters, some bigger ones into six pieces. I cooked the everything in the oven at 375 for 45 min and it was perfection. I will make this recipe over and over. Thank you Chungah!!
Yum! Thanks for sharing!