Mains · American
Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables
Crisp-skinned lemon-thyme chicken thighs roasting on one pan with potatoes and red onion: dinner and side in one go.
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Hands-off
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 h 15 min
- Makes
- 6 chicken thighs with vegetables
- Serves
- 6
The oven heats while you cut the potatoes and mix the lemon-thyme oil, so preheating isn't added. Roast 45-50 min, turning the pan once. Total = 25 min active + 50 min roasting.
Oven 220 °C · 200 °C fan (425 °F)
- easy
- gluten-free
- one-pan
- weeknight
- family-dinner
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? Everything has to fit in a single layer with space between the chicken pieces. To double it, use two sheet pans and swap their shelves halfway; the time stays about the same, but check each pan with a thermometer. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: large rimmed sheet pan · large bowl and whisk · zester or fine grater · instant-read thermometer · serving platter · oven mitts
Contains: none of the 9 major allergens in the listed ingredients
Method
Heat the oven, cut the veg
Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 220°C (200°C fan, 425°F). Cut 900 g (2 lb) red potatoes into 2.5 cm (1 in) pieces and slice 1 red onion. Cut one lemon into wedges.
Ready when: The oven has finished heating before the pan goes in.
Mix the lemon-thyme oil
In a large bowl, whisk 80 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1 1/2 tsp chopped thyme, 1 1/4 tsp pepper, 4 chopped garlic cloves, and the zest and juice of the other lemon.
Load the pan
Put the 6 chicken thighs, potatoes, onion and lemon wedges on the sheet pan, pour the lemon-thyme oil over and toss everything to coat. Turn the chicken skin-side up and space the pieces apart. Wash your hands after handling the raw chicken.
Otto tried this firstOtto piles the chicken in the middle in a neat little tower. Nothing browns that way. He spreads the thighs out, skin up, with gaps between them.Roast
Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through.
Ready when: The skin is golden brown, the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, and a thermometer in the thickest part of each thigh (not touching the bone) reads at least 74°C (165°F).
Finish and serve
Move everything to a platter, scatter over 2 tbsp chopped parsley, spoon the pan juices over and squeeze the roasted lemon wedges over the chicken.
Swaps
- Instead of some of the red potatoes: carrots or sweet potatoes cut into the same 2.5 cm (1 in) chunks Keep the vegetables in a single layer so they roast rather than steam.
- Instead of parsley finish: shredded Swiss or Asiago cheese scattered over just before serving
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days. Frozen, cooked chicken dishes keep best quality for 4 to 6 months.
- Reheat
- Reheat until the chicken is steaming hot and reaches 74°C (165°F).
If something goes wrong
- Pale, soft skin and steamed vegetables Why: The pan was crowded or the chicken was skin-side down.
Space the thighs apart, skin up, and keep everything in a single layer; use a second pan if needed. - Skin is brown but the meat near the bone is under 74°C (165°F) Why: Very large thighs need longer.
Keep roasting and check every 5 minutes, measuring away from the bone.
Good to know
- Turn the pan around halfway through roasting.
- Squeeze the roasted lemon wedges over the chicken just before eating.
Safety
- Chicken must reach at least 74°C (165°F). Measure in the thickest part of each thigh, away from the bone.
- Keep raw chicken away from other food; wash hands, the bowl and anything it touched in hot, soapy water.
- The sheet pan, its juices and the oven are very hot. Use oven mitts; kids should let an adult move the pan.