Roasted Italian Chicken and Potatoes

In this roasted Italian chicken and potatoes dish everything is baked together on a single sheet pan. It’s simple, family friendly, and so flavorful.

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Hello, my friends.

I’ve been making this recipe for several years and it is a huge family favorite. The prep time is quick and it tastes like a yummy dish you would get a fancy Italian restaurant.

The chicken is tender and juicy. The potatoes are roasted to perfection. The flavors are simple but powerfully good.

Basically it’s awesome.

What kind of chicken can I use?

The nice thing about this recipe is that it’s super adaptable with different types of chicken.

I prefer to use bone-in chicken legs and thighs. They are cheap and I think the dark meat is super juicy and flavorful. I usually use a combination of both (6 legs and 6 thighs), but this time my grocery store only had chicken thighs so I used 8 of those and that worked well.

I’ve never tried this recipe with bone-in chicken breasts, but I think they would work also. Just watch them closely so they don’t get overcooked. White meat often dries out when cooked too long. Using an instant read meat thermometer (aff. link) is a good idea. The temperature of the thickest part of the chicken breast should register 165 degrees F when fully cooked.

I’ve found that with the chicken thighs and legs, they are still juicy and tender even if roasted a bit longer than the recommended 165 degree internal temperature.

You could also try it with boneless chicken. Again be sure to watch the cooking time closely if you are using boneless skinless breasts.

Fresh rosemary vs. dried

I love using fresh rosemary in this recipe if I have it on hand. Unfortunately, rosemary doesn’t grow year round in this area. During the three or four months that it is freezing outside, I use dried rosemary in this dish and it’s still super yummy that way.

You could also substitute other Italian type herbs if you want to switch up the flavors for variety.

Lets talk about baking sheets for a second

I love these Nordic ware commercial baking sheets (aff. link). They are fairly inexpensive, cook evenly, and clean up like a charm too.

I use them for everything from baking cookies to sheet pan dinners like this one.

My favorite salt for this dish

If you were to tell me a few years ago that I’d be particular about things like which salt to use in a recipe, I would have laughed out loud.

But guys, I’m telling you, it really matters.

Using coarse salt for cooking, especially roasting, changes this dish. It brings out the flavor of the food and turns it from good to amazing.

Right now my favorite coarse salt is this French sea salt (aff link). Oh my goodness, it is so good.

I realize I may not convince you quite yet that you need that one. Cause I know I fought these kinds of particulars for forever. But once you try it, there will be no going back. Such a game changer.

So at the very least, promise me you’ll try it at least once with a coarse salt. Even a coarse kosher salt will make a huge difference.

Are you ready to dive into the recipe?

Okay, my friends. My mouth is starting to water. It’s time to wrap this up so I’ll get straight to the point.

Make this roasted Italian chicken and potatoes dish.

P.S. It’s delicious with these green beans.

Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat

All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat

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