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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Could you substitute fat free 1/2 & 1/2?
Yes, absolutely.
Just put this in the oven! I am so excited!!!! The garlic sauce is to die for!!! I love your website and I have been telling everyone about it.
Can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yes, absolutely, but cooking time may have to be adjusted accordingly.
How would I change the recipe for boneless skinless chicken breast
Cooking time may have to be adjusted accordingly.
I also can’t wait for dinner tonight to eat the leftovers!
I made this last night with my Cusinart mulitcooker (basically a slow cooker with roasting & saute function). I followed the directions above, using the pot of the mulitcooker as my saute pan. At step 7, instead of putting everything into a roasting pan, I simply placed everything back into the multicooker pot, with the cream sauce. I used kale instead of spinach & threw in a handful of baby carrots – because that’s the way my family rolls. I lowered the baking temperature to 35oF to compensate for the fact that everything was on direct heat. I cooked the dish for 30 minutes & it came out fantastic! I can’t wait for dinner tonight to eat the leftovers! 🙂
Do you cover with foil or uncover when putting in the oven?
Nope – no cover needed. 🙂 Recipes typically specify when a cover is required.
Thank you. =)
I would love to try this but I am unable to eat cheese of any kind. Do you have any recommendations for what could be used instead?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
You can buy no dairy “cheese” at Trader Joe’s if you have one near you. =)
This was simply amazing.
I’m making this for a family that’s more then 6 so do I double everything? Or just certain things?
Yes, everything should be doubled.
This recipe is definitely a keeper!!! Thank you!!!
I love your recipes and this one certainly didn’t disappoint! The chicken turned out amazing and the sauce was delicious. Easy and simple to make, will be making this one again!
For the people, who said their potatoes weren’t done, I cut mine into fourths and baked the dish for 35-40 minutes. I think it really depends on your oven.
Just made this dish…It was wonderful!!! This recipe is definitely a keeper!!! Thank you!!!
your recipe says to eat this immediately, does this not do well for leftovers??
This is best when served immediately, but can also be reheated as needed.
This was really good. The sauce was amazing, and I could eat the spinach all day. However, I think you definitely have to cut the potatoes into smaller pieces. I halved mine and they came out really undercooked. Live and learn – for next time!
Made this last night and it was very good! Fairly easy and came together fast. The only thing I will do differently next time is to put the potatoes in the microwave 5 to 10 minutes to ensure they are done. This is going in my faves collection. Thanks for sharing!!
This was a delicious dish. I cooked the potatoes until they were slightly soft to be sure that they would be cooked before adding them to the other ingredients.
I used a big bunch of spinach instead of loose baby spinach because it is cheaper.
Mushrooms would be a good addition.
I would make this again. It’s very yummy.
I’m looking forward to trying some other recipes on your web site.
Made this tonight and was so very pleased! I used boneless chicken breast but otherwise followed the recipe. I will be making this again when my hubby is home!
Made this tonight for supper. Would not change a thing. I did double the recipe so that I had leftovers. Might add mushrooms next time. Very,very delicious. I mean it is dam delicious!!!
The addition of mushrooms sounds amazing!
Hi, making this right now. Missed the potato footnote at end – so chicken is almost done, potatoes are half done, sauce is starting to separate. My solution – I put the chicken on a sheet pan, the potatoes back in the 9×13, and pored the sauce into a skillet. I can spice up the sauce, pull the chicken out in a few, and let the potatoes keep clink until done. Emergency recipe surgery! LOL. It will all go on the same platter, just more dishes. Tastes good so far.