Baked Chicken & Potatoes (Wire Rack Method!)

Here I’ll show you a trick to making crispy & juicy chicken alongside ultra flavoursome potatoes!

If you’re after a really simple (yet outrageously delicious) chicken dinner to add to your rotations, look no further. Follow me…

Baked Chicken Thighs

For this recipe, we’re using bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. Baking chicken thighs is great because they don’t dry out as easily as chicken breast, meaning if you roast a little longer than intended it’s not going to completely ruin the chicken.

I recommend using bone-in thighs because they tend to stay juicier and cook more evenly than boneless thighs. You also want the skin on, not only because crispy chicken skin is the best thing in the world; but also because a lot of the fat is going to come from the chicken skin, and the fat is what we’ll use to cook the potatoes (more on this in just a sec).

Can I use Chicken Breast instead?

I don’t recommend it for this recipe, just because you need excess fat for the potatoes and chicken breast won’t have enough.

Process shots: add paprika, onion/garlic powder, oregano, salt/pepper & olive oil to a bowl (photo 1), whisk to combine (photo 2), add thighs (photo 3), mix until evenly coated (photo 4).

Baked Chicken and Potatoes

Alrighty, here’s where the fun starts.

What we’re essentially going to do is elevate the chicken above the potatoes, so the fat renders down onto the potatoes as they cook. From there, the potatoes will soak up all that gorgeous flavour and roast in the chicken fat.

Why use a wire rack for the chicken?

Good question – why not just plonk the chicken straight on top of the potatoes? By elevating the chicken thighs you create a lot more space around the chicken, which allows the hot air to circulate more efficiently around the meat. This will not only cook the meat more evenly, but it also prevents steaming, which in turn prevents the chicken from crisping up (namely the skin). You also then give the potatoes a little more room to roast properly as well.

To prep the potatoes just add a very small amount of oil to some sliced baby potatoes and give them a good pinch of salt and pepper. The small amount of oil will help prevent the potatoes from initially sticking to the baking dish, while the salt and pepper gives them a base seasoning, just to get the party started.

Chicken Fat Potatoes

Once the thighs are cooked, just remove them and place them to one side. They’ve done their job.

At this point the potatoes will be cooked, but they won’t be crispy and won’t have soaked up much of the fat. As such, you’ll want to give them a toss them in the fat, crank up the heat and whack them back in the oven until deep golden & lightly charred.

Process shots: remove thighs (photo 1), toss potatoes (photo 2), roast (photo 3).

Chicken and Potatoes FAQ

Can I use different cuts of chicken?

I’ve done this recipe with drumsticks, which works well because they’re also quite fatty and have a similar cooking time to thighs. Wings would work, but cooking times would differ.

What kind of potatoes to use?

Here I’ve used baby potatoes which work perfectly. I find they hold their shape well over the long period of cooking.

Can I use different seasoning?

Absolutely. You can use your favourite seasoning mix if you have one. Just make sure you season well and remember it’s for the potatoes as well!

Serving Baked Chicken and Potatoes

You can serve just the chicken and potatoes as they are, or you could add a Side. Here I’ve served with Roasted Broccolini, but Garlic Green Beans also work nicely. In the video below I served with Romesco Sauce which works AMAZINGLY. If you want a Sauce you could add Creamy Peppercorn Sauce or even Homemade Gravy!

Looking for another nifty chicken dinner? Check out my Baked Chicken and Rice (one dish!)

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this chicken and potatoes shall we?!

How to make Baked Chicken and Potatoes (Full Recipe & Video)

5 from 4 votes

Baked Chicken & Potatoes (Wire Rack Method!)

By: Chris Collins

Here I'll show you a trick to making crispy & juicy chicken alongside ultra flavoursome potatoes!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 55 minutes mins

Servings: 3 - 4

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Equipment

• 12x9" / 30x22cm Baking Dish (or similar size)
• Wire Rack
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Tongs

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1kg / 2lb bone in skin on Chicken Thighs, preferably brought close to room temp (see notes)
• ▢ 750g / 1.6lb Baby Potatoes, halved
• ▢ 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• ▢ 2 tsp Paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp Salt, plus more as needed
• ▢ 1/2 tsp EACH: Oregano, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, plus a pinch more pepper for the potatoes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
• In a large mixing bowl combine paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and 3/4 tsp salt with 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil until a paste forms (add a dash more oil if needed). Toss in the chicken until evenly coated.
• In an 12x9" / 30x22cm baking dish (or similar size) add the baby potatoes alongside the remaining oil and salt + a large pinch of pepper. Toss to combine, then place them all cut-side-down. Add a wire rack on top then add the thighs on top of the wire rack.
• Pop in the oven for around 35-40mins, or until the thighs are crispy, lightly charred and piping hot through the centre (timings will depend on the size of the thighs so just be vigilant). Remove the chicken and place on a plate to one side.
• Use tongs or a spatula to toss the potatoes in the chicken fat, then crank up the heat to 220C/430F and roast the potatoes until deep golden/lightly charred, tossing once or twice as needed (up to 10mins or so). If you need to roast past 10mins, add the chicken back in for a couple of mins before the potatoes are done, just to crisp them back up.
• Season potatoes with more salt if desired then serve up and enjoy. I like to spoon over some of the excess fat over the chicken at the end! (see notes for serving suggestions).

Video

Notes

a) Chicken - Important to use skin-on thighs, because that's where a lot of the fat comes from. I also recommend using bone-in thighs; they tend to stay juicier than boneless thighs. I don't recommend roasting the chicken straight out the fridge because it tends to end up slightly more tough and doesn't cook as evenly.

b) Can I use breast instead? - I don't recommend using breast because it's not fatty enough. It'll also dry out much easier than thigh.

c) Excess Oil - Depending on how fatty your thighs are and how much skin they have, you'll likely still have a little excess oil after roasting the potatoes, which is absolutely fine. You can discard this, spoon over the chicken or store in the fridge for a later use (i.e. roasting potatoes again).

d) Serving/Sides - Here I've served with Roasted Broccolini, but Garlic Green Beans also work nicely. If you want a sauce you could add Romesco Sauce (as served in the video), Creamy Peppercorn Sauce or even Homemade Gravy!

e) Calories -  Whole recipe divided by 3 with no sides or sauces.

Your Private Notes:

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Nutrition

Calories: 722kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.04g | Protein: 44.35g | Fat: 47.66g | Saturated Fat: 12.177g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9.363g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21.729g | Trans Fat: 0.215g | Cholesterol: 245mg | Sodium: 599mg | Potassium: 1147mg | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 1.18g | Vitamin A: 198IU | Vitamin C: 29.8mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2.92mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’

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