Chicken and Potatoes

Ultra comforting, my French-style chicken and potatoes is rich, saucy and brimming with flavor. Prepared with juicy and succulent chicken thighs, caramelized onions and baby potatoes in a sauce kissed with white wine, Dijon mustard and herbs, recipe is a fantastic meal to warm up with when the weather turns chilly!

The perfect rustic chicken dish

There's little as cozy and comforting as a rustic chicken dinner when the weather turns cool...

Seeing as chicken thighs are typically a staple in my fridge or freezer, I love to incorporate them into savory, saucy meals during the fall and winter seasons. It's the perfect recipe for those one-pot meals, making use of my oven, and making our kitchen smell absolutely amazing!

My chicken and potatoes recipe is a French-inspired chicken dish, one brimming with notes of aromatic white wine and bright Dijon mustard which make the abundant, oniony sauce pop with flavor.

Prepared in a large, deep, oven-safe pan or braiser, this easy chicken and potatoes dish feels like a warm hug from within. It's just the recipe to spoon into a shallow bowl (perhaps with some crusty bread on the side!) on those cool evenings when extra TLC is exactly what's called for.

My recipe for chicken and potatoes

While this chicken and potatoes recipe is deeply flavorful, deliciously earthy and wonderfully hearty, it calls for just a simple handful of ingredients. It truly is one of those easy-to-prepare dishes that only seems (and tastes!) like it took lots of time and effort to cook up. In actuality, it's the oven that does most of the heavy lifting—around 50 minutes worth.

I like to season my skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs with Dijon mustard, paprika and herbes de Provence. I'm using thighs here because the skin and the bones add lots of richness and flavor to the velvety sauce as they braise.

Those succulent thighs get a quick sear in the pan for extra color before the oniony sauce is created, which also is kissed with a touch of Dijon mustard, some white wine, plus an extra sprinkle of herbes de Provence.

The touch of flour sprinkled in before a splash of chicken stock is added offers some "body" to this thinner, natural-style sauce. The baby yellow potatoes offer not only added heartiness, but also a touch of natural thickening.

I love that everything gets nestled together in the pan and is cooked in the oven until the chicken thighs are deeply bronzed and crispy, and the potatoes tender and buttery. This dish is so mouthwatering and cozy!

Here's a sneak peek at my chicken and potatoes recipe:

(or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I season my chicken thighs and sear them in the braiser for a few minutes on each side to create color and crispness. Then, I remove them and set aside for just a moment.
2. Next, I create the sauce by caramelizing my onions just a touch, until lightly golden, then add in my other aromatics, my Dijon mustard and my white wine, along with the sprinkle of flour, followed by the chicken stock.
3. The baby yellow potatoes are added in next, and the chicken thighs are nestled over top before the pan is placed into the oven. Everything cooks together for about 50 minutes, until crispy and deeply golden.
4. I finish the chicken and potatoes with fresh thyme, and serve.

Recipe

Chicken and Potatoes

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This saucy and rustic chicken and potatoes recipe is prepared with white wine, Dijon mustard, thyme and caramelized onions!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: French-American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 496 calories (per serving)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, divided use
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence, divided use
• Olive oil
• 2 medium white onions, quartered and sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• ½ cup white wine
• 2 ½ tablespoons flour
• 1 ¾ cups chicken stock
• 1 ½ pounds baby yellow potatoes, halved or quartered
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus extra for garnish, as desired

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Place the chicken thighs into a large bowl or onto a platter, and sprinkle in a couple of generous pinches of salt and black pepper, then add in 1 tablespoon of the Dijon mustard, plus the teaspoon of paprika and 1 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence.
4. Rub the seasoning into the chicken thighs well, then set the thighs aside for a moment.
5. Place a large braiser, deep pan or Dutch oven (at least 4 quart) over medium to medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, and working in batches, add in the chicken thighs skin-side down, and allow them to brown for about 4 minutes on that first side.
6. Flip the thighs and brown on the other side for about 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from pan and hold on a large plate while you repeat with the remaining chicken thighs. Set the thighs aside for a moment.
7. If there is an abundance of grease/fat in the pan, spoon out just enough so that about 2 tablespoons remain (you may not need to remove any), and add in the sliced onions, plus a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Sauté the onions for about 4 to 5 minutes, until they soften and begin to become golden. Next, add in the garlic, plus the remaining 2 teaspoons of herbes de Provence, as well as the Dijon mustard, and stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
9. Then, pour in the white wine and allow it to bubble up and reduce for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pan is fairly dry.
10. Sprinkle in the flour and stir it into the onion mixture, cooking that a bit for about 30 seconds. Then, switching to a whisk, whisk in the chicken stock until the sauce is smooth.
11. Add the baby potatoes into the pan evenly, nudging them into the sauce, and then nestle the seared chicken thighs atop of those. Bring things to the simmer for a moment, then remove the pan from the stovetop and place into the oven, uncovered, and bake the chicken and potatoes for 50 minutes, until the chicken is deeply browned and the potatoes tender.
12. Remove the chicken and potatoes from the oven, and allow things to rest for about 10 minutes.
13. Finally, sprinkle over the thyme, and serve the chicken and potatoes in shallow bowls just as is, or with warm bread to sop up the savory sauce.

Tips & tidbits for my chicken and potatoes recipe:

• Skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs: Using chicken thighs with the skin-on and the bone-in yields the tastiest, juiciest and most tender results. I would suggest avoiding skinless and boneless thighs, because the result will not be as succulent and flavorful. Also, note that skin-on and bone-in chicken breasts can be used, but may be less rich tasting. The all-white meat of the breasts are leaner and a bit drier, so cook for about 40 to 45 minutes, if using them instead.
• Baby yellow potatoes for buttery results: I'm a big fan of baby potatoes for recipes such as this, and love yellow ones with their buttery flavor and melt-in-the-mouth texture. You can easily substitute red baby potatoes, or even use the larger yellow or red potatoes, and cut them into smaller pieces.
• White wine, for a hint of acidity: The white wine in this dish helps to balance out some of the rich savoriness, and offers a touch of brightness. Since you are reducing the wine, know that the alcohol will be cooked out. However, if you prefer not to use the wine, then simply skip that step and go directly to sprinkling in the flour, etc. Once the dish is out of the oven, squeeze about 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in, to offer some acidity, if desired.

Hungry for more comfy-cozy chicken recipes? Check out my recipe for Braised Chicken Thighs, Tuscan Chicken, Salsa Verde Chicken with Beans, Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs, Braised Chicken with Andouille Sausage, or even my recipe for Chicken Cacciatore!