Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
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Crisp-tender chicken baked to absolute perfection with potatoes and spinach. A complete meal in one!
Au revoir, Paris! It’s been an amazing week, but it’s time to get home so that I can burn off all these macarons, baguettes, hot chocolate, and falafels. Not to mention that massive Nutella-banana street crepe I had in the middle of the night.
But before I head to the airport for a 12-hour flight back home, I really need to share this with you: my newest chicken recipe yet with a garlic Parmesan cream sauce that will blow. your. mind.
You also have your potatoes and spinach baked right in for a complete meal in one. See, aren’t you happy that I’m coming back? This just means I’m making more chicken recipes the minute I hit LA.
Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce: Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
Kale, cabbage, swiss chard and collard greens are all great subs.
Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
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
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.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this recipe a few days ago EXACTLY as written and it was delicious!! I’ve never made anything like it and the robust flavors were amazing. I added salt and pepper to my liking, like the recipe states (which means a good amount of both for me). I used bone-in, skin-on thighs and cut the baker potatoes into thirds or fourths, per the recipe’s suggestion. It cooked perfectly in the time it said and the potatoes were tender and full of flavor from being in the sauce. YUM. It was amazing and I’m making it again this weekend when company comes over. (I plan to double the spinach- that was SO good! We sopped up the sauce with bread and the spinach and sauce on bread was my favorite part!) Thanks for the great, simple recipe that tastes AMAZING!!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used chicken breasts and I used Italian seasoning in the cream sauce as well since I didn’t have the other spices and i thought it was great! Due to other comments, I did end up cooking for closer to 50 minutes to make sure it was cooked through. Very flavorful and agree with another comment that the cream sauce would be good over pasta.
Yummy, I was worried that it wouldn’t cook until the time suggested but just an extra five minutes and it was all good!! Added some cherry tomatoes just because they were “on the way out” and added a light freshness to it. Best Pinterest recipe I’ve made, I’m not usually very good at converting from American to British.
Defo a keeper!!!
Thanks so much for raw chicken and uncooked potatoes! This recipe couldn’t be more inaccurate!!
Cooking times in recipes are simply an estimation. Please account for larger-sized chicken and potatoes to ensure they are cooked through completely.
I’ve used the recipe a few times and it always comes out amazing! I was also wondering if there is anyway to use the same sauce recipe but with shrimp instead?
I can’t wait to try out more of your recipes!
Yes, absolutely! You can try this recipe of mine that uses shrimp and this cream sauce:
https://damndelicious.net/2016/12/17/shrimp-and-gnocchi-with-garlic-parmesan-cream-sauce/.
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try it!
I made this last night and while yes I did have to cook it more like an hour+, I thought the flavor was SO delicious! The spinach and potatoes were really tasty. I would make it again! Thank you! 🙂
Made this tonight but used boneless/ skinless chicken breasts and doubled the sauce (only bc my family loves sauce) & it was delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Chungah, I made this for dinner tonight. It was simple, delicious and easy. Your recipes are the best. Always work as described. Many of your recipes are part of my regular rotation. Keep your chin up and ignore the negative people. Keep sending your great recipes. Hi to Butters.
Happy New Year.
I agree – people are SO mean, yikes! It was so good 🙂
Made this for supper. It was SO good! I used the worlds’ best Italian seasoning, Chef Prudhomme pizza and pasta seasoning. Lots of flavor. I am watching my carbs these days, so I subbed cauliflower for the potatoes. Husband and I both loved it.
Hi, just wondering what Dutch potatoes are? I’m trying this recipe this week. My family of four consistently loves every single recipe I’ve ever made from your site. Thank you!
These are round baby potatoes with distinct yellowish-white skins. Hope that helps!
Have yet to find Dutch potatoes. What can we substitute and do we need to change cooking time etc?
You can substitute with baby (or the smallest) potatoes you can find. Cooking time will vary if the potatoes you use are larger than standard Dutch potatoes.
The instructions stated that the vegetables and sauce were to go on top of the chicken. All the pictures show chicken nestled in the veggies. I realize it seems like a crazy question but it seems like it could make a difference.
OK, gotta tell you I am truly a believer now!!! I was always telling friends to not really expect what they made to come out looking as good as they see on the internet. Everything is always photoshopped or fixed to look better than possible. But you girl, you have won me over. Yes – your photography is wonderful and makes everything look really luscious. Well, I started trying some of your recipes and O.M.G.!!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic gift with all of us! And today’s chicken recipe is spectacular!
Have a question…my hubby wants new chicken recipes and I found this one….but he says he’s not a fan of spinach. What else would be tasty to put in instead of spinach? (and I don’t think he’ll like kale either!)
You can omit if you would like. Although I do think kale would be a great substitute! 🙂
I made this tonight, but the dear boyfriend bought boneless, skinless chicken thighs, so they were cooked quickly in the pan during the browning phase. I was concerned about the thighs being overcooked in the oven while the potatoes cooked, so I fried them in a pan until they were crusted on the outside, and mostly cooked. Then I threw everything into the pan, covered it with foil and put it in the oven. For the sauce I used the really good shredded parmesan you get at the fancy cheese counter in our local grocer.
It was amazing! It’s so good I want to make it again next week. I do think I will substitute kale instead of spinach, just because I don’t really like spinach. Also, my sauce separated a teensy bit in the oven so I scooped the food with a spoon with small holes so the sauce didn’t drain out but the oil did.
I am having an issue with my sauce separating when it comes out of the oven. It’s oily on the bottom. Any suggestions?
It’s hard to say – are you making any substitutes?
No, I am following the recipe exactly.
Made this last night after a deep-dive on Pinterest and WOW, it was so delicious! The flavor of the sauce was incredible, and this was almost a one-pot meal, which never hurts!
For those that had some trouble, I made a few tweaks to the process that ensured all my ingredients were cooked the right way:
– I browned my bone-in chicken thighs in a little butter for about 5 minutes on each side (longer than the recipe suggests) to make sure I had a nice, golden brown, crisp skin
– After transferring the chicken to the baking dish, I browned the potatoes in the same pot (in whatever liquid was left in there from browning the chicken) and made sure I seasoned them with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
– After transferring the spinach and potatoes, which now were a little golden brown and not absolutely rock hard, I made the sauce in the same pan, again with whatever liquid was left from the previous round.
– For those claiming the sauce was bland… always, ALWAYS season with salt and pepper whether the recipe calls for it or not. I honestly couldn’t believe HOW FLAVORFUL the sauce ended up being… also the perfect consistency.
Super impressed with this one, and also a great dish to make for dinner parties, as it will be super easy to scale up and minimal pot usage/clean-up. <3
Do you think i could use corn starch or gluten free flour? My husband is gluten free.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Nicole – I made this last night using the 1 to 1 gluten free flour ( I like the pillsbury brand) and it turned out beautifully !
Wow! We just made this tonight and it was delicious!!!! It was very easy and actually fun to make. The flavors are very balanced and satisfying. I’m definitely adding this recipe to my dinner rountine. The whole family raved about it. Thank you!!!
This recipe was very good. I did do a little more, I am Haitian so I can’t just use salt and pepper on one side. I marinated my thighs over night with homemade Haitian seasonings, so the chicken can be flavorful throughout. Then I made the cheese sauce as instructed and baked it at an hour. Came out smelling good, tender and DELICIOUS.
I made this yesterday exactly as above recipe except I accidentally bought a package of 4 chicken breasts instead of 6. It WAS delicious however I would make some modifications next time. I would not bother with skin on, all the seasonings went on the skin which ended up being discarded. I think I would prefer with breast meat rather than thighs, so I would change that up. The potatoes were nice, but I think this would also be really good over pasta so I might try that next time. Finally, my sauce was a little too oily so I’d probably use less butter.