Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
by Chungah
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Juicy, tender chicken and potatoes, sneaked-in greens and the most irresistible garlic parmesan cream sauce! Budget-friendly and impressive!
Featured Comment
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 you’ll love Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
- 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 cream sauce. This is a cream sauce made of dreams – rich, silky, garlicky 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 Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
- Make the cream sauce. Firstly, make the garlic parmesan cream sauce until the desired consistency is reached (heavy cream will yield a richer sauce). If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of half-and-half.
- Prep the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Sear the chicken. Cook the chicken until the skin is golden brown and crispy, working in batches as needed to avoid an overcrowded pan.
- Wilt the spinach. Stir in the spinach until wilted in the pan juices.
- Bake. Add the chicken, potatoes, spinach, and cream sauce to a 9 x 13 baking dish, baking until the chicken is cooked through (165°F) and the potatoes are fork-tender (larger-sized potatoes will take longer to cook through).
- Serve. Lastly, spoon over some of the leftover sauce on the chicken and potatoes. Garnish with parsley and serve with crusty bread or dinner rolls for sopping.
What cuts of chicken work best in this recipe?
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: This is the gold standard in a recipe like this, yielding the most flavor as the skin will naturally self-baste the meat as the fat renders, preventing the chicken from drying out.
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts: This is a great option for those who prefer white meat, but will require a longer cook time.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts: This will cook much more quickly than bone-in, but without the skin (baster) and bone (retains moisture), there is a higher risk of drying out and becoming tough and rubbery when overcooked.
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 and 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 excellent subs.
How can the potatoes be done at the same time as the chicken?
If using baby potatoes, cut them in half. If using larger potatoes, cut them into small 1/2-inch pieces. For those who prefer softer potatoes, parboil the potatoes for 5-10 minutes before adding them to the baking dish.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
Chicken and Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
Juicy, tender chicken and potatoes, sneaked-in greens and the most irresistible garlic parmesan cream sauce! Budget-friendly and impressive!
Video
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry
- 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 bake 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.
Equipment
Notes
- Bone-in chicken will be juicier. While boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be used with a shorter cooking time, bone-in will be juicier and have extra flavor.
- Pat the chicken dry. Use a paper towel to thoroughly dry the chicken, blotting on all sides before seasoning. Wet chicken will cause it to steam, making it impossible to form that golden brown crust.
- 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.
- Parboil the potatoes (optional). If you prefer ultra-soft potatoes or larger-sized potatoes, parboil for 5-10 minutes before adding to the baking dish.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in added nutrition 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!
Did you make this recipe?
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Made this last night and this was amazing. I too used more seasoning but we like a lot of flavor in my house, definite keeper. THANK YOU…..
Can you clarify something please?
I printed this recipe on May 13th and it called for 1.5 cup milk (4th ingredient for sauce), but now I see chicken broth. Which ingredient had you used?
I tried this recipe using milk and it was amazing. I also used a rounded 1 TBSP for the chicken and close to 1TSP each of the dried herbs in the sauce. The smell in the whole house was gorgeous.
Due to time constraint, screaming toddler, ingredients on hand etc I used frozen crushed garlic cubes, (thawed/Pressed) frozen chopped spinach, and accidentally let sauce get a bit thick… Was a household hit! The sauce over the potatoes became and baked cheesy awesomness.
I used my 12″ cast iron pan for all the searing and sauce making, even after cleaning up the pan, it smells great.
I seared each boneless/skinless thigh side longer: 3/3/2/2 and oven bake time was the same as recipe. I’m a a bit overly concerned for food illness from past food misadventures. Chicken was still tender and no knife needed to eat.
We had family over to help with some construction and they got a chance to try my 2nd batch – this is a winner for both my family, the In-laws, and cousins.
Thank you, your blog is helping me become a better, more confident cook.
Suzanne, the recipe has been updated. I have tried both milk and chicken broth and found that chicken broth yielded better results, but if you prefer the milk version, you can use that instead – it’s up to you! 🙂
Hi. Made this tonight. For us the amount of herbs overwhelmed the dish. Will try again but with less tyme and basil. I ended up just picking out the chicken and potato so not to get too much sauce. Apart from that it was nice.
I cooked 5 thighs and found 45-50 min bake time was more accurate for chicken to be cooked and potatoes to be edible. I even cut my potatoes in 1/6ths. Flavor of sauce delish.
I agree. Cooking this right now and 35 minutes gave me raw potatoes and chicken breasts. Cooking for another 25. The sauce is amazing though
That cooking time seems more accurate with boneless skinless chicken breast. If you get chicken with skin and bone it will take longer. I am attempting to try this tonight. I love the reviews. I will boil my potatoes haha.
This looks delicious, I’ve never heard of the brand of potatoes you mentioned, can your use russet or red potatoes?
Yes, absolutely.
I love this but the cream sauce makes my thighs start screaming! I lightened it up by replacing the cream sauce with puréed steamed cauliflower and mixed that with the chicken broth, Parmesan and garlic. It made a great ‘cream’. ahhhhmazing!!
Fantastic recipe! My husband loved it. Sauce was amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I plan on making this dish this weekend. What do you suggest for a side dish.
Thanks!
You actually don’t need a side dish since you have the potatoes and spinach baked right in – that’s the beauty of this dish! 🙂
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!
Hi… Chicken broth? = Stock? Or tin chicken soup I’m a bit lost with your terminology … TIA…
Tracy, here is a great resource discussing their differences. Hope that helps!
Chungah!! Omg!!! This recipe was SO amazingly delish!! My 4yo and husband absolutely LOVED it! And the sauce?!! HOLY SAUCE!!! It was perfection! This recipe will DEFINITELY be on repeat in our household! Thank you for sharing, you truely have a gift!!
Thank you for the quick response, I have this ready for oven now. I”m new to your site but I love what I see.
Are you supposed to cook this covered or uncovered?
Uncovered. Recipes will typically specify if a cover is needed.
This was amazing ! My 1, 3 and 9 year old ate it too !
Thank for sharing
I’m so glad! 🙂
I made this tonight and the potatoes were not cooked enough. I cut the potatoes bite sized too. Flavor was great. I will parboil the potatoes if I make this again.
Awesome dish definately a keeper the parmesan garlic cream butter they are all friends well done ….loved it
This looks amazing. Is the Italian seasoning the dry Italian dressing seasoning or the Mccormick Italian seasoning blend?
McCormick Italian Seasoning can be used.
Even after following your blog site for years, I just noticed that you put the required ingredients & directions side-by-side, making the prep a whole lot easier. Thank you, dear Chungah!
Not a fan of spinach either. I think I will sub sauteed mushrooms and will try low-fat evaporated milk for the cream. Sounds absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try.
I made it last night and it was a HUGE hit. My super picky son asked for seconds yay! Thank you!! <3
Love this, don’t love spinach… If I omit it do you think any other components of the recipe will have to change too or should it be ok?!
Yes, you can omit the spinach and leave the recipe as is. You can also substitute kale if you’d like. Might as well sneak in as many veggies as possible! 🙂