Lemon chicken and potato traybake

One pan, forty-five minutes in the oven and zero babysitting. Crispy skin guaranteed.

1 h
Total time: 1 h
Hands-on: 4 servings
Servings: 545 cal
Per serving: Easy
Difficulty: Oven
Method

Photo: Vauia Rex · CC0

Ingredients

4 servings

Nutrition facts

per serving

545cal

Protein: 38 g28 %
Carbs: 38 g28 %
Fat: 26 g43 %
Fiber: 4 g
Sugarstotal, including the natural sugars in fruit and dairy: 4 g

Approximate values, calculated from food composition tables. They vary with the brands and cuts you use.

Step by step

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Lemon chicken and potato traybake

One pan, forty-five minutes in the oven and zero babysitting. Crispy skin guaranteed.

1Step 1 of 6

Preheat and prepare the pan

Heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C), conventional setting. Peel the potatoes and slice them ¼ inch (½ cm) thick; cut the onion into thick strips. Spread everything on the sheet pan with half the oil, salt and pepper.

Tip: Thin slices, or the potatoes will still be hard when the chicken is done. A quarter inch is the magic number.

2Step 2 of 6

Dry the chicken well

This step decides whether the skin comes out crispy or rubbery. Pat the thighs dry with paper towels on both sides, especially the skin, until they no longer look wet.

3Step 3 of 6

Season the chicken

Mix the rest of the oil with the juice of one lemon, the oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. Rub it all over each thigh and place them on top of the potatoes, skin side up.

4Step 4 of 6

Lemon and garlic in between

Cut the other lemon into thick slices and tuck them between the chicken pieces, along with the unpeeled garlic cloves. Roasted in their skins, the garlic cloves turn sweet and creamy inside.

5Step 5 of 6

45 minutes in the oven

Bake for 45 minutes at 400 °F (200 °C). After 30 minutes, spoon the pan juices over the chicken and put it back in. Never cover it.

Tip: If the skin isn't golden at 40 minutes, switch to the broiler for 4 or 5 minutes without taking your eyes off it.

45:0045 min · 45 minutes in the oven

6Step 6 of 6

Rest for 5 minutes

Take it out and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. The juices settle back into the meat instead of running out when you cut it.

05:005 min · Rest for 5 minutes

About this recipe

This is what I make when I want to cook very little and eat very well. Everything goes raw onto the same pan, the oven does the work and the potatoes cook in the juices from the chicken, which is where all the flavor is.

Two details separate this from an ordinary roast chicken: drying the skin thoroughly before it goes in (moisture is the enemy of crispiness) and slicing the potatoes thin, about ¼ inch, so they cook in the same time as the chicken.

It costs very little per serving and there's enough for seconds.

Tips for getting it right

Thighs over breasts. They have more fat, survive the oven without drying out and cost half as much.
For a lighter plate, remove the skin when serving: you save about 60 calories per serving and the meat is still juicy because it cooked with the skin on.
Squeeze the roasted garlic over the potatoes as you eat. It's the best bite on the plate.

Storage

3 days in the fridge. It reheats best in the oven or air fryer, 8 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C), rather than the microwave, which softens the skin.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do I get crispy chicken skin in the oven?

Dry it very well before seasoning, never cover it while it bakes and don't crowd the pieces on the pan. Packed tightly, chicken steams in its own moisture instead of roasting.

Can I use chicken breast?

Yes, but bring it down to 35 minutes or it will be dry. Breast has much less fat and handles the oven much worse.

Can I prepare it ahead?

The marinade, yes, and it even improves: leave the seasoned chicken in the fridge for up to 12 hours. Slice the potatoes just before baking, because they oxidize.

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