Roasted Chicken Thighs Provençal

Name: Roasted Chicken Thighs Provençal
Cook time: P1H15M
Total time: P1H
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Fusion
Ingredients: red skinned potatoes; italian plum (roma) tomatoes; carrots; nonstick cooking spray; olive oil; rosemary leaves; thyme; salt; black pepper; chicken; olives; rosemary sprigs

Submitted by happyzhangbo

Roasted chicken thighs Provençal with crispy skin-on thighs, rosemary-thyme potatoes, roasted plum tomatoes, carrots, and briny Niçoise olives. A French countryside sheet-pan dinner for six.

YIELD

6 servings

PREP

10 min

COOK

75 min

READY

1½ hrs

This is sheet-pan cooking with a French accent. Bone-in chicken thighs get their skin crispy while sitting on top of vegetables that roast in the rendered chicken fat. Staggering the cooking (vegetables first for 30 minutes, then chicken added for another 35) ensures the potatoes get properly caramelized while the chicken finishes with crackling skin.

Rosemary and thyme are the Provençal backbone, and this recipe uses them generously in both stages. A total of 2½ tablespoons of fresh rosemary and 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme means every bite carries that herbal perfume. Dried herbs work in a pinch but reduce by half.

Niçoise olives thrown in with the chicken are the unexpected star. They wrinkle and intensify during roasting, releasing salty-briny juices that mingle with the chicken drippings and pool in the bottom of the pan. Spoon that over the potatoes when serving. It’s the best part.

This is a one-pan dinner that needs nothing more than crusty bread to sop up the juices. Maybe a green salad alongside if you want.

Chef Tips

Pat chicken thighs completely dry before seasoning. Dry skin is the difference between crispy and flabby.
Quarter the potatoes small enough to cook through in the allotted time. Uniform 1-inch pieces are ideal.
Use a heavy jelly-roll or sheet pan. Thin flimsy pans warp at 425°F (220°C) and create hot spots.
Save the olive pits for stock or discard them along with the olives after serving. Warn guests before biting in.

Variations

Swap Niçoise for Kalamata olives if that’s what you have.
Add a head of garlic cloves (unpeeled) to roast with the vegetables for mellow sweet garlic.
Finish with fresh lemon zest at the table for a brighter lift.

Ingredients

POUNDS RED SKINNED POTATOES
small, quartered

ITALIAN PLUM (ROMA) TOMATOES
seeded and cut into 6 wedges

CARROTS
peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

NONSTICK COOKING SPRAY
to taste *

TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL

1 ½

TABLESPOONS ROSEMARY LEAVES
freshly chopped, divided

TEASPOONS THYME
freshly chopped, divided *

TEASPOON SALT
divided

TEASPOON BLACK PEPPER
freshly ground, divided

OUNCES CHICKEN
thighs, skin-on, bone-in, about 6 each

EACH OLIVES
niÃ§oise *

ROSEMARY SPRIG
as needed, optional *

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.

Drizzle vegetable mixture with olive oil; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, 1 teaspoon thyme, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Toss gently, and spread into a single layer on pan.

Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Remove vegetable mixture from pan, and keep warm.

Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1½ teaspoons chopped rosemary, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Add chicken and olives to pan.

Bake at 425° for 35 minutes or until chicken is done.

Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.