One-Pan Chicken With Golden Potatoes Recipe • 5★ • 2 hrs 30 min

This one pan chicken and potatoes recipe is a perfect weeknight winner when you want a comforting dinner with minimal fuss. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs get a quick soak in a spiced yogurt marinade, then roast alongside tender potatoes and sweet onions in a covered skillet. This method keeps the chicken juicy while the veggies soften beautifully. Toward the end, you remove the cover so the chicken skin crisps up and turns a gorgeous golden shade, thanks to the turmeric. It’s a simple, delicious meal that pairs nicely with a basic green salad and doesn’t demand much hands-on time.

Here’s a pantry-friendly, easygoing one pan chicken and potatoes recipe that’s mostly hands-off. The chicken thighs, skin on and bone in, get a simple coat of spiced yogurt and roast in the oven with potatoes and onions in a covered skillet—perfect for locking in juices. About halfway through baking, you unveil the pan so the skin crisps up, and the turmeric adds a warm, inviting golden color.

You won’t spend much time actively cooking—just a quick marinade and then oven roasting—and you end up with a flavorful, family-style meal for four. Plus, those pan juices turn into an effortless sauce to drizzle over everything. This dish pairs perfectly with just a simple green salad. If you want to get ahead, marinate the chicken overnight for even more flavor.

• Serves: 4
• Mostly hands-off cooking
• One large covered skillet (cast iron works best)
• Pan juices double as a ready-to-go sauce; easy to prep ahead

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Using one pan from start to finish means cleaning up is a breeze and serving is simple.
• The short marinade and mostly hands-off oven time deliver juicy, tender chicken with crispy skin. For another hands-off, marinated option, try Greek sheet pan chicken souvlaki and potatoes.
• The flavorful pan juices turn into an easy sauce that you can spoon over the chicken and potatoes.
• Flexible pantry spices and common ingredients mean no special shopping trip needed.
• Feeds a family of four and can be prepped ahead by marinating the chicken overnight. If you prefer true set-it-and-forget-it ease, Crockpot Tuscan Chicken is a great make-ahead alternative.

Ingredients for Four Servings

• ⅓ cup plain yogurt, plus extra for serving if you like
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 5 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2 to 2½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
• 1½ pounds red potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and sliced about ¾ inch thick, or use another waxy potato
• 2 large yellow onions, cut crosswise into 1-inch thick rounds
• 1 cup chicken broth

How to Make the Dish

1. Whisk together 1/3 cup plain yogurt, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 5 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and plenty of black pepper; squeeze in juice of half a lemon and mix well.
2. Add 2–2½ lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs to the yogurt mixture and toss to coat; let rest at room temperature at least 45 minutes or cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F and, if chicken was refrigerated, bring it to room temperature while the oven heats.
4. Peel and slice 1½ lb red potatoes about 3/4 inch thick and cut 2 large yellow onions into 1-inch rounds.
5. Toss potatoes and onion rounds with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and freshly ground black pepper; spread in a single layer in a large cast-iron skillet, keeping onion rings intact.
6. Pat chicken skin dry with paper towels.
7. Nestle the chicken thighs skin side up on top of the potatoes and onions.
8. Pour the remaining marinade into a bowl, add 1 cup chicken broth, scrape the bowl to loosen any bits, then pour this mixture into the skillet around the chicken, avoiding the chicken skin.
9. Cover the skillet surface with parchment paper, seal tightly with foil, and bake covered at 425°F for 1 hour.

10. Carefully remove the foil and parchment, baste the chicken skin with pan juices, then return the skillet to the oven uncovered and bake an additional 25 minutes or until the chicken skin is deeply golden and potatoes are tender (internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh should read 165°F).

    

11. Let the skillet rest 5 to 10 minutes, then squeeze the remaining half lemon over the chicken and potatoes.

Tips for Crispy Chicken & Potatoes

• Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towels before putting it in the pan—this helps it get really crisp when you uncover the skillet.
• Pour the broth and any marinade around the chicken pieces, not over the skin, so the skin stays dry until it crisps up at the end.
• Try to keep the onion rounds whole for a nicer look on the plate and better texture.
• Slice potatoes evenly about ¾ inch thick so they cook through evenly alongside the chicken.
• If your chicken was refrigerated, letting it come to room temperature while the oven heats gives you more even cooking.
• A heavy skillet (cast iron is best) ensures even heat; if you don’t have one, watch the cooking times carefully and consider using a baking sheet—this approach works well in recipes like Sheet Pan Chicken with Rainbow Vegetables.
• Don’t forget to baste the chicken after removing the cover—that helps get that beautiful golden skin.
• Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness: the thickest part of the thigh near the bone should reach 165°F.

Flavor Swaps and Add-Ins

• Swap dried oregano for thyme for a different herbal spin, add more cumin for deeper smokiness, or take a Parmesan-herb route inspired by this Parmesan Crusted Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner.
• Love spice? Mix in 1 to 2 teaspoons of harissa or cayenne pepper into the marinade for a nice kick, or explore a salsa verde and pepper jack riff in this Grilled Salsa Verde Pepper Jack Chicken.
• For faster cooking, use boneless, skin-on or boneless, skinless thighs—but check early to prevent drying out.
• Feel free to toss in other hardy veggies like carrots, parsnips, or halved Brussels sprouts; cut them bigger or par-roast so everything finishes cooking together.
• For a Mediterranean flair, add pitted olives and capers during the last 10 minutes of roasting, then finish with extra lemon juice.

How to Store and Reheat

Keep your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Let the food cool to room temperature before sealing to keep the potato texture nice. If you can, store the pan juices separately to keep the chicken skin from getting soggy.

To reheat, pop everything into a shallow baking dish, cover it, and warm in a 350°F oven until heated through (usually about 20–30 minutes). For extra crispy skin, remove the cover and broil for a minute or two at the end. Or use an air fryer to quickly re-crisp the potatoes and edges—see our guide to super-crispy air fryer fries. Leftovers freeze well for up to 2 months; just thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. And the marinated chicken can chill in your fridge for up to a day before baking if you want to prep ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs? You can, but breasts cook faster and tend to dry out more easily. If you try this, reduce the covered baking time and watch closely. Bone-in, skin-on thighs are the most forgiving and flavor-packed choice here. If you prefer a quick chicken breast dinner instead, try 15-Minute Honey Garlic Chicken.

Do I have to use yogurt? Yogurt really helps tenderize the meat and makes the spices stick nicely. Greek yogurt or labneh work great too. If you skip the yogurt, add a bit more oil and lemon juice, but know the texture and flavor will change.

Why cover the pan with parchment and foil? The parchment stops the foil from touching your food, and the foil traps steam to gently braise the chicken and veggies, keeping everything moist. Taking off the cover at the end lets the skin brown and get crispy.

My potatoes weren’t tender—what happened? Make sure your potato slices are about ¾ inch thick, and spread them out in a single layer. Crowding the pan causes steaming instead of roasting, so if needed, use a bigger pan or two pans.

How do I know the chicken is done? Your safest bet is an instant-read thermometer—stick it into the thickest part of the thigh near the bone, which should read 165°F. The juices should run clear, and the meat should pull easily away from the bone.

Can I halve or double this recipe? Absolutely! Just pick a pan big enough so everything fits in a single layer. A crowded pan means longer cooking time for potatoes and browning, so keep an eye on those.