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 Doubled this….. it was excellent
Super yummy dinner. Thanks! My family 3 boys and myself enjoyed it immensely. The only change was not using spinach hahah there would’ve been a riot. I bet kale would be delish too. Loved the garlicky creamy sauce. The half and half was perfect. Super easy clean up too… 1 pot. I am super thankful. That cream sauce would be good over so many things – thinking of upcoming fall foods like spaghetti squash. Yum.
I just made this today and it was super delicious! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. I didn’t have spinach so I just used only potatoes. I also didn’t have any cream so I used full milk. It turned out super yummy and everyone in the family enjoyed their meal and some even had seconds. Thank you for the good recipe.
The flavor is AMAZING!! I just assembled everything (not precooking anything) layered it all in a 9×13 crock pot and cooked in crock pot all day! Only thing I need to alter is the liquid, as nothing evaporates it was a little runny. But DEFINITELY making this again!
Fresh spinach is crazy expensive right now. Should I sub frozen or canned spinach?
You could just add in another type of veggie. I use carrots instead of spinach.
I ended up using frozen and it worked fine. I was thinking of maybe trying broccoli next time.
I made this today and used fresh Swiss chard from our garden instead of spinach. Didn’t alter taste at all!
Exceeded expectations! My boyfriend loved it as well.
Absolutely awesome. Will definitely be making this often
Love the flavor. Will make again. I parboiled the potatoes and they were perfect. I will try this with boneless thighs next time just because they’re easier for the kids.
We love this but due to current circumstances we are in a hotel. Can this be put in the crockpot?
I have made this a few times and it is delish however why is my sauce lumpy after adding the chicken stock. I tried adding slowly – the stock was warm but still flour bits in it. Tips appreciated.
I love this recipe. How many calories are in this recipe.
Pretty tasty although mine was not as pretty as yours. I got lazy (as you do) and served it over some green leafy stuff as the spinach didn’t really qualify as a veg. It always looks like a lot going in, then poof it’s gone. Tasty, I’d make it again maybe with some green beans?
I wish I had read the reviews before I made this because my potatoes weren’t cooked either, but I just separated them out, finished them in the microwave, and put them back in the dish. I did not leave the dish in the oven longer because I did not want the chicken to overcook. My family loved this, and so did I! I will definitely be making it again, but I’m cooking the potatoes first.
I made this exactly as written with one exception: I used chicken breast meat rather than thigh meat. It was stunning!
Can you use boneless skinless thighs
That’s what I used and my family loved it! Making it again this weekend. 🙂
This is a time
consuming recipe beat made thenday before and reheated. Have made this multiple times – increased the sauce a tad
This is “knock your socks off” fantastic! I did parboil my potatoes first. The flavor combinations are sublime! My husband wants more sauce next time, so I’ll double it. Wonderful enough to serve to company!
Great flavor, but you should definitely update your recipe to boil potatoes 10 min before adding to everything else. Wish I’d read the comments first!
THANKS FOR THE GREAT RECIPE! After reading several comments, I decided to air fry my potatoes before placing them in the dish with the other ingredients. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to the letter. So good. Will definitely add to my list of go-to cold weather meals.
Absolutely fabulous! I got a head start on the potatoes while I cooked the chicken and made it lactose free with olive oil instead of butter and Full fat lactose free milk instead of cream. Delicious a definite keeper! Thank you so much!
Great taste but my potatoes were still very raw and hard. I had To completely over cook the chicken to make the potatos edible… recipe would be perfect if the potatos were pre-cooked!