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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Can this be frozen?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Just tried this recipe and it was great!!! I saw comments modifying the original but i love it the way it is. Thanks
Should’ve read the comments…in no way were the potatoes cooked within the 25-30 minutes, so I had to double cooking time which resulted in the cream and oil separating.
So quick and easy, I used much less butter and garlic in the sauce and added some milk to get it to a consistency I liked. I used one fry pan to prepare everything in before layering in the oven dish. I peeled and part cooked the potatoes before layering them on top. Served with crusty breadstick and some steamed beans and carrots. It has fed us for two nights and microwaved up really easy the 2nd night. This dish is such an absolute winner and easily flexible. I can’t wait to impress more people with it. Thank you Thank you 🙂
Is there anyway you can use this recipe with fish instead of chicken?
Yes, of course, but cooking time will have to be adjusted as needed.
Do you cook in the oven uncovered
Yes.
This looks so delicious! I will have to try it out this winter!
I just put it in the oven 15 minutes ago and we cannot wait for it being ready to serve. The sauce is so delicious, however I used a bit more parmesan than indicated (we love it cheesy…).
I will definitely let you know how we liked it.
Greetings from cold Switzerland!
I made this last night and the flavor was really good. The only problem I had was that my sauce separated while baking in the oven. Did anyone else have this problem? Did I do something wrong??
I’m seeing the same thing and it’s annoying as hell! LoL!
This was delicious and quick week night meal. I partially microwaved the potatoes to make sure they cooked through in 30 minutes. Next time I will decrease the butter to 1 tablespoon for the cream sauce. The sauce was a bit more greasey than creamy even though I used skinless thighs.
Really disappointed with this recipe. I did everything by the letter except subbed chicken breast for thighs. Firstly; The cooking time left my potatoes still very hard, I had thought about par-boiling them but decided to do it the way it was written and see what happened… what happened was mostly raw potatoes even though they were in small pieces. I had to add another 20mins or so. Secondly; by the time this was ready the sauce was way more like soup than anything else. When it went into the oven it was creamy and think but for some reason I was left with a chicken and potato soup that had to be eaten out of bowls! The flavor was really nice but the instructions definitely need some tweaking.
What pan are you using and what size is it?
I am using a 9×13 Pyrex baking dish.
AMAZING! Very quick and easy and I felt very full and satisfied after. I had some leftover and I was able to reheat by throwing everything in a skillet and allowing the sauce to liquefy. I am hooked on your recipes.
Made this for dinner and it was awesome! Didn’t do the spinach cause we aren’t spinach fans. Also did regular baking potatoes and just parboiled. Will probably do skinless thighs next time! Thank you so much that sauce was delicious!
OH, and I made with skinless boneless thighs and it worked totally fine. Browned prior to oven. In oven for about 30 minutes.
Soooo good! Flavours were amazing! I parboiled potatoes as per other comments. No spinach but steamed some beans for the side. Really good, would totally make again. Thanks!!
I made this tonight, and it was AWESOME! I cooked it for 35 minutes, as I was doing chicken breast boneless, and cut the potatoes small. It turned out amazing…would not change thing!
Made this tonight with boneless, skinless thighs. I only had Romano cheese in the fridge. I used coconut milk (just because I had a can open and it needed to get used). Subbed water for the chicken stock and deglazed pan with a splash of vinegar. I know I made subs, but I wanted to let you know how it worked and was still quite delicious. I might only use 2 cloves garlic next time. I usually like garlic so it could have just been the new head of garlic being extra flavorful. Once it came out of the oven and I gave it a taste I realized my husband wouldn’t like it. It was just too…flourery??? I grew up in the upper midwest with creamy, soupy casseroles and meats so it was fine for me, but I’ve learned in our 11 yrs married that he completely refuses to eat anything like that. I should have known so in my think fast mindset I dumped in some red pasta sauce and W.O.W! Winner, winner chicken dinner!! I think the pasta sauce also helped with the overly garlic flavor I ended up with too. And DO PARBOIL the potatoes. My potatoes needed at least an hour to cook. Thanks!!
Can you use spinach in a can instead of fresh? It’s all I have. Would it change the recipe time or anything?
Yes, canned spinach can be used. Cooking time may have to be reduced accordingly.
I rarely comment on recipes but this was absolutely delicious! My family loved it! I did take the advice of others and placed the potatoes in the oven for 20 minutes while I was searing the chicken and making the cream sauce. It was perfection! Tender potatoes and juicy chicken! Thanks for a new family favorite and one I feel I could serve to company!