A bold and flavor-packed marinade made with garlic, lemon zest, and Herbes de Provence imbues this roast chicken and potatoes recipe with the taste of southern France. Because everything cooks in one pan, it’s a no-fuss way to put a hearty meal on the table.
I love sheet pan dinners. The goal is simplicity—a satisfying all-in-one meal that doesn’t require doing a pile of dishes afterwards. But the execution can be tricky. I’ve found it takes some finesse to achieve perfect texture results when combining an array of different ingredients in one pan.
To pull off this feat, and make a chicken and potatoes recipe with the sunny flavors of southern France, the best solution I’ve found is to cook the ingredients in stages. I wait to add moist ingredients that produce a lot of steam until the end.
First, I roast bone-in chicken legs and buttery, yellow potatoes tossed with a flavorful mix of lemon zest, garlic, and herbes de Provence. Once the potatoes and chicken turn golden, I add in quicker-cooking shallots and mild, green Castelvetrano olives. Another short stint in a piping hot oven yields tender chicken with crispy skin, golden-brown potatoes, and tender shallots.
Just before serving, I add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a shower of chopped parsley and tarragon. Voilà! A sheet pan chicken and potatoes recipe that is both easy and perfectly delicious.
Table of Contents
Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for this recipe are available at any well-stocked grocery store. Here is everything you’ll need:
- Lemons: Both the zest and juice are key to adding flavor to the chicken and potatoes. The zest is used in the flavoring rub, and the juice adds tang after the dish comes out of the oven.
- Garlic: Finely grated garlic adds a pungent bite and heady aroma to the dish.
- Herbes de Provence: This spice mix from the South of France contains a variety of wild herbs. More on this herb blend below.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: Salt helps tenderize the chicken and bring out the flavor of the potatoes. Black pepper adds a bit of welcome heat.
- Extra virgin olive oil: This recipe uses only enough high-quality olive oil to add flavor and coat the chicken with the marinade. As the chicken roasts, the fat from the skin drips down and keeps the potatoes moist.
- Chicken thighs and legs: Bone-in chicken with the skin stays juicy when roasted at high heat. The bonus is crispy skin!
- Yellow potatoes: I like creamy, yellow potatoes for this recipe, but small red or multicolored potatoes would work as well. I recommend halving smaller potatoes and quartering larger ones.
- Shallots: Roasted just until tender, shallots add a mild, oniony flavor to this dish without overpowering it.
- Castelvetrano olives: Buttery and firm, these mild-flavored green Sicilian olives go particularly well with chicken. If you have some left over, use them in this Sheet Pan Salmon and Vegetables.
- Fresh herbs: Sprinkled over the dish just before serving, parsley and tarragon add freshness and another layer of flavor. Tarragon is an anise-scented herb often found in traditional French cuisine. To learn more, check out our Guide to Cooking with Fresh Herbs.
What is Herbes de Provence?
This aromatic mixture is a blend of dried herbs that grow wild in sunny southern France. Traditionally, it includes dried thyme, oregano, summer savory, and rosemary, but it may also contain lavender, tarragon, and fennel.
It’s often used to flavor chicken, lamb, or white fish before roasting or grilling. Herbes de Provence also adds a fragrant note to stews or as a flavoring in extra virgin olive oil poured over goat cheese or olives. You’ll find it in the spice section of most well-stocked grocery stores.
How to Make Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
This sheet pan dinner makes cleanup a cinch! Once you’ve tossed the chicken and potatoes together with the flavorful marinade, the heat of the oven does the rest of the work.
- Make the marinade: Finely zest 2 lemons and grate 4 cloves of garlic, and place them in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence, 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Stir to combine.
- Marinate the chicken and potatoes: Add 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs, and 1 1/2 pounds halved or quartered yellow potatoes. Toss the chicken and potatoes until they are fully coated with the marinade. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
- Get ready: Heat oven to 425°F with a rack in the top third. Arrange the chicken and potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, and turn the potatoes cut-side down.
- Roast chicken and potatoes: Place the sheet pan on the top rack of the oven and roast until chicken and potatoes are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven.
- Add shallots and olives: While chicken and potatoes are roasting, quarter 4 medium shallots lengthwise and cut in half crosswise. Pit and halve 12 Castelvetrano olives. Scatter shallots and olives around the chicken. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the chicken is nicely browned, 20 to 30 minutes longer.
- Finish and serve: Remove the pan from the oven and squeeze the juice from one of the lemons over the chicken and potatoes. Reserve the second lemon for another use. Scatter with 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon. Serve immediately.
Make this Recipe Your Own
Here are a few ideas to put a different spin on this recipe:
- Use a whole chicken instead: You can swap a whole, cut-up chicken for the chicken thighs and legs. To ensure the chicken cooks through evenly, cut the two breast pieces in half crosswise.
- Add more vegetables: Toss in halved cherry tomatoes or zucchini rounds when you add the shallots and olives for extra color and texture.
- Change up the spices: You can easily change the flavor profile of this recipe by changing the seasoning blend. To give this dinner an Italian spin, replace the Herbes de Provence with the same amount of Italian seasoning, or equal amounts of dried thyme, rosemary, and oregano. Use shawarma seasoning blend or ras al hanout to give it a Middle Eastern flavor profile with sweet spice.
- Try different olives: I love the mild, buttery flavor of Castelvetrano olives, which have become increasingly easy to find. French green olives such as Lucques or Picholine olives would be lovely, as would herbal Chalkidiki olives or more briny Kalamatas from Greece.
What to Serve with this Chicken and Potatoes Recipe
The beauty of this hearty sheet pan dinner is that there’s no need to fuss over a bunch of side dishes. I usually serve it with nothing more than a simple butter lettuce salad or mixed greens dressed with homemade Dijon Vinaigrette. If you’re aiming to impress guests, this elegant Endive Salad with Apples, Walnuts, and Dates takes only slightly more effort.
More Sheet Pan Chicken Recipes
Meat and Poultry
Sheet Pan Paprika Chicken and Vegetables
Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Sheet-Pan Rosemary Chicken Recipe with Vegetables
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop.
Roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Herbes de Provence and Olives
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and legs (about 4 legs and 4 thighs)
- 1 1/2 pounds yellow potatoes halved lengthwise, or quartered if large
- 4 medium shallots, roughly chopped
- 12 pitted Castelvetrano olives, halved
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
Instructions
- Make the Herbes de Provence marinade. Use a rasp-style zester or grater to finely zest both of the lemons and grate the garlic. Set aside one of the lemons for serving, and reserve the remaining lemon for another use. Place the lemon zest and garlic in a large bowl and mix with the Herbes de Provence, salt, a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, and the olive oil. Stir with a fork to combine.
- Marinate the chicken and potatoes. Add chicken and potatoes to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, toss the chicken and potatoes until they are fully coated with the seasoning mix. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to marinate, or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours.
- Get ready. Heat oven to 425°F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Arrange the chicken and potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, and turn the potatoes cut-side down (this will help them brown).
- Roast chicken and potatoes. Place the sheet pan on the top rack of the oven and roast until chicken and potatoes are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven.
- Add shallots and olives. Scatter the shallots and olives around the chicken. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the chicken is nicely browned, 20 to 30 minutes longer. This should be plenty of time for the chicken to cook through fully, but if you have any doubt, the internal temperature of the thighs and legs should register at 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Finish and serve. Remove the pan from the oven and squeeze the juice from one lemon over the chicken and potatoes. Scatter with chopped parsley and tarragon. To serve, transfer the chicken and potatoes to a large family-style serving dish, or divide among dinner plates.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and olives used in this recipe.
- To use a whole chicken instead: You can swap a whole, cut-up chicken for the chicken thighs and legs. To ensure the chicken cooks through evenly, cut the two breast pieces in half crosswise.
- How to pit olives: Castelvetrano olives are usually sold whole. To remove the pits, press on each olive firmly with the flat side of a large chef’s knife until they flatten and split. At this point, the pit can be easily removed with your fingers.
Nutrition
Bundle and Save!
Bring the authentic flavors of Greece to your table with Greek Kalamata Olives and Green Chalkidiki Olives Stuffed with Lemon.
