Crispy Lemon Chicken with Potatoes, Oregano, and Capers

Melissa Clark
Melissa Clark
An award-winning New York Times food columnist, cookbook author, and cooking video personality, Melissa Clark writes about cuisine and other products of appetite. She earned an M.F.A. in writing from Columbia University. She’s won two James Beard Foundation awards and two IACP awards (International Association of Culinary Professionals), and her work has also been selected for the Best American Food Writing series. In 2012 she joined the staff of the New York Times, where she writes the highly popular Food Section column, A Good Appetite and has starred in over 100 cooking videos. She is a frequent guest on NBC’s The Today Show and is a regular guest host on APM’s The Splendid Table. In addition, Melissa has written 45 cookbooks, including the best-selling Dinner In French, and the IACP-award winning Dinner, Changing the Game. Her forthcoming book, Dinner In One (September 2022), elevates one-pot meals to the truly exceptional.
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published Sep 10, 2022
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Crispy Lemon Chicken with Potatoes, Oregano, and Capers Recipe

In this trouble-free sheet pan dinner, potatoes get a head start in the oven while chicken drumsticks and thighs marinate, admist flavors of lemon , garlic, oregano, and red pepper.

Serves4

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Photograph of Crispy Lemon Chicken with Potatoes Oregano and Capers.
Credit: Linda Xiao

This lemony, herby dish might be my favorite way to cook chicken and potatoes in one pan. The potatoes get a head start in the oven while chicken drumsticks and thighs marinate, absorbing the flavors of lemon zest, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Then the pieces are plopped on top of the potatoes so they can render their glorious fat while everything roasts and crisps. It all emerges glistening, golden, and richly flavored. I love this served alongside a spinach salad, but any tumble of leafy greens will work. 

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Crispy Lemon Chicken with Potatoes, Oregano, and Capers Recipe

In this trouble-free sheet pan dinner, potatoes get a head start in the oven while chicken drumsticks and thighs marinate, admist flavors of lemon , garlic, oregano, and red pepper.

Serves 4

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1

    lemon

  • 1 3/4 pounds

    Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons

    dried oregano, divided

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste

  • 3/4 teaspoon

    freshly ground black pepper, divided

  • 3 tablespoons

    extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds

    bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks

  • 3

    fat garlic cloves, minced or finely grated

  • Crushed red pepper flakes

  • Torn parsley, basil, or mint leaves, for serving

  • 1 tablespoon drained capers, for serving

  • Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425°F and, if you like, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner (not essential but helpful for cleaning up). Grate the zest from the lemon into a large bowl and cut the naked lemon in half. Set aside.

  2. Put the potatoes, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper onto the prepared sheet pan, tossing well to coat. Spread potatoes out into a single layer. Squeeze one lemon half all over potatoes and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Roast potatoes for 15 minutes.

  3. While the potatoes are roasting, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. To the bowl with the lemon zest, stir in the garlic, remaining 2 teaspoons oregano, and a large pinch of red pepper flakes. Add chicken and toss well, making sure it gets well coated with all the seasonings.

  4. After the potatoes are roasted for 15 minutes, add chicken to the pan, placing the pieces skin side up on top of potatoes. Drizzle chicken and potatoes with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Continue to roast until chicken and potatoes are cooked through and everything is golden and crisped, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

  5. Transfer chicken and potatoes to a platter or serving plates and sprinkle with torn herbs. Scrape the pan juices into a bowl, squeeze in the remaining lemon half and stir in the capers. Drizzle a little of the sauce over the chicken and potatoes and serve remaining sauce on the side.

Recipe Notes

Swap It Out: If you’d rather use bone-in breasts, let the potatoes roast for 25 minutes, then add the chicken and roast for 20 to 25 minutes longer.

Reprinted from Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals. Copyright © 2022 by Melissa Clark. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.

Filed in:
Chicken
Ingredient
Dairy-Free
Gluten-Free
pantry
Vegetables