Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
This easy and economical dinner of baked Chicken Thighs and Potatoes is made in the oven with buttery soft potatoes flavored with mustard, oregano, lemon, and orange juice. It makes a fast and delicious meal.
For other quick and delicious chicken thigh recipes, try my Asian Chicken Thighs or Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Nobody ever believes me when I share this recipe. Just by looking at the basic pantry ingredients it calls for, you’d never guess that it’s going to be such a flavor powerhouse that you’ll make again and again!
The chicken thighs bake until perfectly tender and juicy, complete with a delicious crispy skin that seals in all the flavor. Beneath the chicken, cubed potatoes soak up all the drippings and sauce.
My family loves this easy baked chicken dish, and I have also made it for several friends who are recovering from an illness or who have just brought a new baby home from the hospital.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For a full list of all the ingredients, see the recipe card below.
- Chicken thighs: This recipe calls for thighs that include the bone AND have the skin on. The skin gets extra crispy and caramelized as this dish bakes and the bones in the chicken meat add more flavor. If you need to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because that’s what you have on hand, reduce the cooking time and cut the potatoes a bit smaller.
- Yukon gold potatoes: I love how BUTTERY Yukon Gold potatoes get in this dish, but you can truly use any type of potato in this recipe. My second favorite behind Yukon Gold would be red potatoes, followed by Russet.
- Fresh lemon juice and fresh orange juice: Please don’t skip these two ingredients in this recipe – they are the secret to everything delicious here and cost next to nothing! If you really enjoy the flavors of citrus, add a bit of the zest to the juice!
- Yellow mustard: This is another powerful flavor enhancer in this recipe. I often use a smoked mustard with jalapenos in it. Use your favorite mustard.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 1: Dice the potatoes. Place the potato chunks evenly across the bottom of a greased 10×14-inch pan. To use a 9×13 pan for this recipe, use just 2 pounds of potatoes so everything will fit nicely.
Step 2: Place the chicken thighs on top of the potatoes. Generously season each chicken thigh with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Step 3: In a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, mustard, oregano, and olive oil.
Step 4: Pour the prepared sauce evenly over the chicken and potatoes. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour on the center oven rack.
Step 5: Remove the foil and continue to bake, uncovered, for an additional 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken skin is deeply golden brown, crispy around the edges, and the chicken reaches a minimum internal temperature of 160-165 degrees F. at the center when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer.
Serve the warm chicken thighs on a bed of potatoes with pan juices spooned over the top.
My Recipe Tips
- This recipe makes a very large batch of chicken and potatoes and works best when made in a 10×14-inch pan. However, if your largest baking pan on hand is a standard 9×13-inch pan, just reduce the amount of potatoes to 2 pounds. Depending on how large your chicken thighs are, you may have to use a few less in a 9×13 pan, as well.
- Don’t be alarmed when you remove the foil after baking the chicken and potatoes covered for the first hour. At this point in the recipe, the chicken won’t look very appetizing. Once the foil is removed, the chicken skin will get crispy and caramelized and the flavors all come together during this last cooking time.
- If you plan to to deliver this dish to friends, I like to deliver it to them fully assembled, but un-baked so they can cook it fresh later on when they want dinner hot and ready from their own oven.
Chicken Thighs and Potatoes FAQs
Cooking chicken and potatoes in the oven together is a great way to get dinner on the table quickly.
If you have any of this dish left over (we never do!), you can store it for up to 3 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. This dish can be reheated in the microwave, but for crispy skin, reheat the chicken thighs for a few minutes in the air fryer. It works like a charm!
This is one of my very favorite make-ahead meals. I often assemble it in the morning when I have more energy, then I cover it and store it in the fridge until dinner time.
To help this dish cook more quickly, remove it from the refrigerator and uncover it, letting it rest for 1 hour at room temperature before cooking. This little resting time really helps to remove some of the chill, so it cooks faster. You’ll need to re-cover it with foil to bake as the recipe directs.
What to make with Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
I like to make this dish with some quick and easy Roasted Air Fryer Broccoli Parmesan or Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts. You could also try some Air Fryer Green Beans.
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Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on, 7-8 medium thighs
- 2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 small lemons, juice of
- 1 medium orange, juice of
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard or your favorite flavorful mustard, I like smoked mustard with jalapenos for this recipe
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste, for seasoning the thighs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the potato chunks evenly across the bottom of a greased 10×14-inch pan. **To use a 9×13 pan for this recipe, use just 2 pounds of potatoes so everything will fit nicely.2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- Place the chicken thighs on top of the potatoes.3 pounds chicken thighs
- In a bowl, whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, mustard, oregano, and olive oil.2 small lemons, juice of, 1 medium orange, juice of, 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil, 2 tablespoons yellow mustard, 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- Pour the prepared sauce evenly over the chicken and potatoes. Generously season each chicken thigh with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.Kosher salt and black pepper
- Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour on the center oven rack.
- Remove the foil and bake, uncovered, for another 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken skins are deeply golden brown, crispy around the edges, and the chicken is at least 160-165 degrees F. at the center when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer.
- Serve the warm chicken thighs on a bed of the potatoes with pan juices spooned over the top.