Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

Chicken thighs, slathered in herb vinaigrette, roasted on bed of sliced potatoes and shallots.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
Elise Bauer

Here's great idea for an easy, one-dish meal—herb roasted chicken thighs baked on a bed of potatoes.

Layer a casserole dish with thinly sliced potatoes, top with thinly sliced shallots, top with chicken thighs, douse with an herby vinaigrette, and roast until the chicken is golden brown.

We've taken this approach in a decidedly French direction with shallots, Dijon, and tarragon, but you could just as easily aim for Greece, and use oregano, olives and a few lemon slices.

Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
Elise Bauer

While the chicken thighs bake, they bathe the potatoes below in their fat and juices, which blend with the vinegar and mustard from the vinegar heavy vinaigrette, to provide a lovely seasoning and sauce for the dish.

You can easily assemble ahead and put in the oven an hour before you need to serve. It also reheats great for leftovers. Enjoy!

Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 55 mins
Total Time 75 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

Thinly slice the potatoes so that they will cook more quickly and will be cooked through by the time the chicken is done.

Ingredients

  • Vinaigrette:
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (less or more depending on how much you like mustard, we like it with 2 teaspoons)
  • 1 teaspoon dried herbes de provence (can sub Italian seasoning or dry thyme or 1 Tbsp of fresh chopped herbs such as thyme or tarragon)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Chicken:
  • 2 pounds chicken thighs, bone in, skin-on, trimmed of excess skin and fat
  • 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 large Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and thinly sliced (1/8-inch thick or less)
  • 1 cup sliced, peeled shallots (can sub thinly sliced onion that have soaked in water for 10 min)
  • 3 to 4 whole garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
  • Several whole sprigs of fresh tarragon or thyme (optional)
  • More salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Preheat oven, salt chicken:

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Sprinkle all sides of chicken thighs with kosher salt and set aside.

    chicken-thighs-potatoes-method-600-1
    Elise Bauer
  2. Make vinaigrette:

    In a small bowl whisk together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, herbes de provence, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

  3. Layer baking dish with potatoes, shallots:

    Spread a teaspoon of olive oil over the bottom of a large (9x13-inch) casserole dish.

    Cover the bottom of the dish with the thinly sliced potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

    Distribute the sliced shallots over the potatoes, and sprinkle again with a little salt and pepper.

    chicken-thighs-potatoes-method-600-2
    Elise Bauer
    chicken-thighs-potatoes-method-600-3
    Elise Bauer
  4. Add chicken thighs, garlic, fresh herbs, vinaigrette:

    Place the chicken thighs, skin-side up, on top of the shallots. Wedge the garlic cloves between pieces of chicken.

    If you have fresh herbs such as tarragon or thyme, you can wedge them in along the border, between the chicken pieces and the dish.

    Whisk the vinaigrette again and pour it over the chicken, spreading it with your fingers to make sure the chicken is well coated.

    chicken-thighs-potatoes-method-600-4
    Elise Bauer
    chicken-thighs-potatoes-method-600-5
    Elise Bauer
  5. Bake:

    Bake uncovered in a 375°F oven for 50 minutes, or until the thighs are well browned and cooked through. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

    (Note if you find the potatoes still need a bit more time, just remove the thighs to a plate to rest and cook the potatoes an extra 10 minutes or so.)

Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
Elise Bauer