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!
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.
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I just made this and let me tell you my house smells amazing!!!!! The chicken was so melt in your mouth good. Just everything was perfect. I also steamed some asparagus and spoon some of the sauce on top of that! I will definitely make this again!!!
Amazing as always, I’ve made this 3 or 4 times now and it’s been fantastic every time. I use chicken breasts because I am just not the hugest fan of thighs, and I just pound the chicken so it’s flat and that helps to keep the cooking time about the same. Thanks for the recipe, this one is always a hit in this house, even with a 4 and 1 year old 🙂
Made today during a snow storm when I had to make do with what was on hand. Subbed chicken breast, frozen spinach and sour cream/skim milk (in lieu of half and half) and it was still delicious! Cooked for 45 minutes and was delicious.
I wish I had read the comments first. I used the proper size potatoes, and after 35 minutes the potatoes still hard, chicken drying out and sayce drying up. Loved the smells while prepping, so next time parboiling potatoes, and making 50% more sauce. I’ll also cook it slower and longer.
Not a fan of this one. The cooking time was closer to 45 mins. The cream sauce separated and this had entirely too much time. Ending up
throwing the whole meal out.
I love to cook but have never left a comment on a recipe website until now. Made this for kids, friends and family tonight. It was an absolute winner! I ended up doing skin on breasts, thighs and legs at 375 for 25 minutes and then 400 for 10 minutes. I added mushrooms and lemon zest. So freaking good! Thank you!
Made this last night. It’s a lovely dish. Fairly simple to prepare, with wonderful results. My husband actually said it tasted like a fine French dish and I would have to agree! Thank you for the inspiring recipe!
I followed recipe measurements (for once – LOL) but when I tasted the sauce, before adding to the baking dish, I found it a little bland for my taste (others have mentioned this too) but with a few tweaks of more of the herbs, salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (almost 1/2 lemon) and an extra shot of chicken stock, it really brightened this sauce up “for my taste”!
I did half the baby potatoes but they still needed about 20 mins added bake time to cook through – keep this in mind if preparing a time meal for guests. Another reader’s suggestion to parboil the potatoes first is a great idea! I will make this again, in fact, I plan to make it again next week for a dinner guest who is visiting from Quebec! Thanks again for the great recipe and fabulous inspiration!!
I did add a little Italian seasoning along with salt and pepper to the sauce 🙂
Made the chicken potatoes and cream sauce tonight with whole boneless white and only difference was I kept it in the large cast iron pan I cooked it in. Hmmmmmmmm! Delicious! I always loved cooking but work 2 jobs now so your recipes absolutely come in handy. So glad for you success!!
Delicious, however, the potatoes were nearly raw at the end of the cooking time. I would recommend par-cooking them before adding to the dish
Damn disgusting is what it is. My husband liked the potatoes but that’s about it. Removing this recipe.
Ditto
Everything turned out great, but next time I will double the sauce (it is awesome). I did boil the chicken first and used that broth. I will do as Emily did and add asparagus next time. Mmmm! BTW, all three of my girls and my husband ate it all up and the girls can be a tough to please sometimes.
Made this last night and it was delicious. Unfortunately I listened to most of reviewer and roasted the chicken for 45 minutes which caused it to be a little overdone. Potatoes were great! Next time i will save a little sauce and drizzle it ontop at the end.
Hi, I was wondering did you use thyme leaves or powdered?
The recipe calls for dried thyme. But you can also use fresh. The ratio for fresh to dry herbs is typically 3:1.
Do I have to boil the dutch potatoes first before cooking in the oven? If so, for how long?
There is no need to but you can choose to parboil the potatoes to ensure faster cooking time.
I’ve made this a few times and I really enjoy it. I parboil the potatoes after my first time.
The only problem that I have is the sauce separating. Any ideas?
It could be a few issues. It is best to use half and half at room temperature. Fat content will also affect curdling issues. Hope that helps!
This was so delicious!!! I substituted green beans for the spinach and used boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half. SOOOOO good!!!! That sauce!!!! Yum!!!!
Made this last night, so wonderful and delish with a side of coconut cilantro lime jasmine rice. I was in heaven.
Made this 2 nights ago. Loved it. My only modifications were to use 1-2 tbsp of butter for the sauce and some fresh lemon juice on the chicken right before you serve, it gives it that perfect balance! Also baked it a tad bit longer, gave me time to clean up so it was a good bonus. Thanks for sharing.
Made this for supper last night and was so good. Doubled the potatoes and spinach, added additional cup of chicken broth to sauce to compensate for extra vegetables. I did need to cook a little longer (about 20 minutes – covered for last 10) because potatoes were still a little firm. I used red potatoes approximately bite-sized because I didn’t know where to find Dutch potatoes. Maybe that was the difference? I will definitely make this again. Maybe with a salad next time. Thank you.
I made this tonight but made a few changes and it was delicious! I browned the chicken in the pan as directed and then removed to cook down the spinach sitting both aside. By adding some butter I sautéed the potatoes in the same pan with salt & pepper. While the potatoes were starting to soften, in a separate small saucepan I made the cream sauce, saving time, by using a packet of Knorr Garlic & Herb Cream Sauce (using pack directions) but still adding in the spices (x2), the garlic (x2), the parmesan and about a quarter cup of milk extra. As the sauce simmered, I added a little more milk to thin it out a bit. I then put it all in the dish as directed, baking at 400 for about 40 mins. Garnished with fresh parsley & served with steamed veggies. It turned out amazing!
Oh, and I used 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied in half.