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 found that it took 45 minutes to cook this up to my liking and preferred potato stiffness. It was not a difficult thing to figure out. I have read some hateful comments directed towards you when this recipe did not fare well for some and it disappoints me, especially since something as trivial as underdone potatoes can be remedied by simply putting the dish back in the oven for a bit longer.
Thank you for posting! My mom and I loved it! Would be great for company!
Possibly because if you’re planning to serve dinner to your family a turkey a certain time on a weeknight, and it takes twice as long to cook as it’s supposed to, your night kinda goes down the drain. By the time you eat, everyone is grumpy and starving. It’s as simple as testing the recipe, which was clearly not done. It’s lifted almost verbatim from another blog, and I bet was only made once to photograph. I also bet the chicken wasn’t cooked in the photos, either.
This was actually an original recipe of mine, and I’ve made it at least 10-20 times at home. It is a weeknight staple at my house. But thanks for your feedback!
No it’s not original- you “adapted” it from the Kitchen Magpie
It isn’t original– it’s literally copied from the kitchen magpie
o…m….g!!!! I am far from a chef but when I tried this recipe last night for the family and I, I sure felt like one. this was so delicious awesome recipe, thank you so much for sharing.
Good recipe with a little tweaking. I recommend parboiling potatoes first and if using the bone in thighs, an increase in cooking time will most likely be needed. My chicken needed an extra 10-15 minutes and the potatoes were still not tender. If this happens, an easy fix is to remove the potatoes, put them in a microwave safe bowl and microwave them a few minutes until tender. I did not find the sauce to be bland,but used really good parmesan cheese and I am not skimpy with salt and pepper and tend to add salt and pepper to each step in a recipe. My husband and son enjoyed this very much. Next time, I think I will use boneless thighs and use more spinach and potatoes.
I have made this recipe every week for the past month. I love it so much! I’ve substituted the spinach with frozen and fresh green beans, frozen broccoli and cauliflower, and frozen mixed vegetables. I’ve substituted the meat for chicken breasts and tenders, pork, and duck. That sauce and seasoning just makes everything delicious. I’m probably going to make a half sauce recipe and try to just make a vegetable side out of it for he next holiday. It even reheats tasting is as good as when it was fresh!
This good meal makes me have the mood of having them right now so badly. Looks so delicious and juicy.
This was delicious! Made it for dinner tonight and tweaked it an it using gluten free flour for my daughter so she couldn’t have a gluten free meal (which I’ve been really struggling with since this new diet started. Also, I didn’t use quite as much italian seasoning as I find it to be extremely overbearing and left out the thyme. I didn’t have any spinach (shame because I love spinach). BUt still turned out amazing! So thank you!
We have a dairy allergy in our family–is there any substitution that could be used for the half and half? (Perhaps unsweetened coconut milk, soy, etc?)
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I am so thankful that I still have one grandma with us – she’s 93 and feisty as ever! haha These pork chops look delicious!!
I made this the other night and devoured it! The sauce is so, so yummy! I had left over sauce (I only had 4 thighs), and poured it over some pasta. Yum yum! Will definitely be making again.
Thank for sharing the recipe, it looks so delicious !
The potatoes should be par-cooked. I used very tiny baby potatoes sliced in half and they weren’t done after 30 minutes. I covered the whole thing with foil and put it back in the oven checking every 10 minutes. It took a total of 30 extra minutes to cook the potatoes through.
We love grilled pork chops, too.
Hi Chungah,
I made this last evening. I could have eaten the Parm sauce in a bowl with a spoon all itself it was that good. I’m already thinking of using this sauce for a chicken parmesan pot pie. Thank you for the recipe!
Can I get a suggestion as to what other meat would be good with this dish? My husband doesn’t care for chicken, but he is crazy for garlic parmesan! Thanks!
Pork chops would be a great substitute!
First of all I want to say thank you. I love this blog so much
If I want to add mushrooms at what would I put them in raw with the spinach or sauté first?
You can add the uncooked mushrooms right before you add the spinach. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this twice now in a matter of a couple weeks. The first time, I followed the recipe verbatim, the second I tried a couple variations and both were absolutely to die for! My family loved it and the hubs already called dibs on the leftovers (and there wasn’t much left!)
This tasted delicious, but even though I quartered the potatoes (which weren’t that big to begin with), they were still very hard when my thermometer said the chicken was at 165 degrees. They had to cook an extra 20-25 minutes to be soft. I guess if I make this again, I will cut them even smaller.
Was very flavorful and easy to make…. If your just adding spinach for color then it’s perfect but if you want to have a serving of it per person I’d double it otherwise I will certainly be making it again!!
First of all I want to say thank you. I love this blog so much