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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Delish!! Not a big fan of spinach, but w/this sauce, yum!!
I increased baking time, in oven, to 40 min for thighs to be 100% done & potatoes softer!
This was amazing! 100% would make this again. On the recommendation of others in the comments, I parboiled the potatoes for 10 minutes before adding to the dish for baking. Might even do 15 minutes next time as the dish needed 10-15 minutes longer. Sauce came together easily and was SO tasty. A squeeze of lemon juice might take it up a notch to a touch of acidity. Amazing recipe and excellent for company!
I wish I read your comment before I made this, fellow Shannon! This dish was delicious but the potatoes were nowhere near done after 35 minutes.
This recipe is amazing!! A family favourite for sure!! I would also recommend roasting or parboiling the potatoes as they are never cooked through in the 30 minutes it takes to bake!
This is the second time I have made this recipe, and it’s been a hit BOTH times. With remarks like “Another Winner!” I know that I will be cooking this time and time again. What a comfort meal! The second time around, I only had russet potatoes, but they worked out just as well as the baby reds! I also wanted to use my new braising pan, so I tried that – it worked out beautifully (and I only had one main cooking dish to clean this way). Thanks again SO SO SO MUCH for this recipe! I will be keeping it and using it for years to come!
I use chicken breasts (adjust cooking time) and triple the sauce since we really like it 🙂
Also I cut and put the potatoes in the oven while I make the chicken and sauce. They take about an hour to cook all the way!
good idea- Thank you for that
how long did you cook the chicken breasts? thank you.
Absolutely delicious! Easy to make and basic pantry ingredients. I was looking for a quick and easy recipe for dinner and this hit the spot.
This was beyond my expectations so delicious. My family loved it and can’t wait til I make it again. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe, absolutely love it.
Cooked potatoes about 20 min longer but result was damn delicious indeed! I cook from your website multiple times every week and we are so thankful for you and your recipes!
Absolutly love this!! Done it with thighs, it is the best. Chicken breasts and tenders also legs turn out great too ( may have to adjust timing slightly). Baby dutch potatoes (red or gold) are the best. Russetts are fine but cut them small, or they will not cook all the way (especially with tenders and breasts). We LOVE this meal, and love having it every time. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I’ve made this meal a while back two different times. It was amazing, although I put my own touch on the sauce the cookie Times and everything was great. I lost the recipe and just went to find it and decided to write a review 🙂
So good! Didn’t have all the correct ingredients so did make some substitutions but it was still delicious and Will totally make again
Just remembered something. Which I swore it said in the recipe but I don’t see It. I baked the potatoes about 10-15 min in the oven then added the chicken. This was like a year ago so maybe I read about this in the comments I’m not sure
It was very good…. I’ll make it again!!
Me this today and the timing is seriously off. After the allotted time potatoes were hard and chicken raw. Took almost an hour. And chicken 2as not browned. Also, wat too much flour in the roux. Needed to add more chicken broth to think. Dont think will make again.
love this recipe! Any sugesttions on how to make this ahead of time or in a crockpot?
This was just AMAZING!!! I don’t ever leave comments unless something is THAT good and this is. I didn’t have Parmesan but I was already into the recipe so I threw in some mozzarella that I grated (I don’t know if it added anything but whatever). And by accident, I measured 1 1/2 cups of stock and I’m not a huge half and half fan so I used only half so the sauce was more like a Marsala in color and consistency. So good. I also used a cast iron to begin with so I just threw everything back in the sauce and in the oven for a one pan meal! Very pretty presentation too! This is company worthy!
Very yummy!! Thank you♡
I think this was a great recipe! I would suggest covering the pan/dish when putting in the oven in order for the potatoes to cook thoroughly. To also avoid the chicken getting dry, add a little chicken stock to the pan and then cover it. Turn the heat down to about 325/350 so that you don’t brown the parmesan sauce and to cook everything thoroughly! It worked well for me and was delicious! Very moist, creamy, and amazing!
This is a very nice dish. My only problem was the potatoes. I cut them smaller than the recipe instructed and they still took forever to cook through. This was not great for the tenderness of the chicken. I think next time I will boil the potatoes a bit first or put them to cook alone before the rest is ready. Maybe this recipe is meant to be baked in a large flat tray rather than a baking dish. I don’t know. The recipe says only 25-30 min in the oven is needed. Took about 3 times as long at the stated temperature. Nevertheless everyone said it was delicious even if the chicken was dry – probably because they were all so hungry by then.
Very good. I used boneless chicken thighs instead of bone in. Used baby Yukon golds cut in half. Cooked perfectly in the 30 minute bake time. Also used frozen chopped spinach.
Made this last night it was so delicious, used small red skin potatoes cut in quarters. Will definitely make again!