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One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Fingerling Potatoes, Peas, and Bacon

By Lawman Johnson

Published on February 22, 2022

Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 4

One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Fingerling Potatoes, Peas, and Bacon

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided1⁄2 teaspoon pepper 1 pound fingerling potatoes, unpeeled1 onion, halved and sliced through root end into 1⁄4-inch-thick wedges4 garlic cloves, minced2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano 1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour 3⁄4 cup chicken broth 1½ tablespoons dry sherry 1 cup frozen peas 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

Before You Begin

Try to find fingerling potatoes that are similar in size and no thicker than 1 inch for consistent cooking.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate.
  2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle all over with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat fat left in skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place chicken, skin side down, in skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until skin is well browned, 6 to 9 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, skin side up.
  3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Heat fat left in skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add potatoes, onion, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic, oregano, and flour and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth.
  4. Return chicken to skillet, skin side up, along with any accumulated juices and bring to simmer. Transfer skillet to oven and cook, uncovered, until chicken registers at least 185 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes.
  5. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Place skillet over medium-high heat (skillet handle will be hot), add sherry, and bring sauce and vegetables to simmer. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in peas and continue to cook until potatoes are completely tender and peas are warmed through, about 3 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
  6. Off heat, stir in 2 tablespoons parsley. Spoon sauce and vegetables over chicken. Sprinkle with bacon and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Serve.
One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Fingerling Potatoes, Peas, and Bacon
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Elle Simone.

One-Pan Chicken Thighs with Fingerling Potatoes, Peas, and Bacon

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Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound fingerling potatoes, unpeeled
1 onion, halved and sliced through root end into 1⁄4-inch-thick wedges
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup chicken broth
1½ tablespoons dry sherry
1 cup frozen peas
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound fingerling potatoes, unpeeled
1 onion, halved and sliced through root end into 1⁄4-inch-thick wedges
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup chicken broth
1½ tablespoons dry sherry
1 cup frozen peas
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
1¼ teaspoons table salt, divided
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound fingerling potatoes, unpeeled
1 onion, halved and sliced through root end into 1⁄4-inch-thick wedges
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup chicken broth
1½ tablespoons dry sherry
1 cup frozen peas
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

There is nothing better than one-pan chicken and potatoes. A successful version involves a careful balancing act of time, convenience, and satisfying food. For this one-pan dish, it’s all about cooking strategically. First, we cooked the bacon in an ovensafe 12-inch skillet until it was crispy and then removed it from the pan. We then jump-started the cooking process of eight meaty, flavorful bone-in chicken thighs by searing them skin side down in the skillet. Once the skin was well browned and the fat was rendered, we removed the chicken and started the vegetables, browning sliced onion and whole fingerling potatoes in the flavorful bacon and chicken drippings in the skillet. Garlic and fresh oregano brought more flavor to the mixture, and stirring in a little flour helped with thickening. We poured in chicken broth; gently returned the browned (but not fully cooked) chicken thighs to the skillet, skin side up; and brought the broth to a simmer. About 30 minutes in the oven cooked the chicken through. Placing the thighs atop the vegetables allowed the skin to stay crispy while the chicken “basted” the vegetables with its juices. We transferred the chicken to a serving platter, added some dry sherry for complexity, and simmered the vegetables and sauce for a few minutes to slightly reduce the liquid and concentrate the flavors further. To finish, we added frozen peas for even more vegetables and sprinkled the crispy bacon over the dish for an easy and comforting weeknight meal.

Before You Begin

Try to find fingerling potatoes that are similar in size and no thicker than 1 inch for consistent cooking.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate.
  2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle all over with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat fat left in skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place chicken, skin side down, in skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until skin is well browned, 6 to 9 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, skin side up.
  3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Heat fat left in skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add potatoes, onion, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic, oregano, and flour and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth.
  4. Return chicken to skillet, skin side up, along with any accumulated juices and bring to simmer. Transfer skillet to oven and cook, uncovered, until chicken registers at least 185 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes.
  5. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Place skillet over medium-high heat (skillet handle will be hot), add sherry, and bring sauce and vegetables to simmer. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in peas and continue to cook until potatoes are completely tender and peas are warmed through, about 3 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
  6. Off heat, stir in 2 tablespoons parsley. Spoon sauce and vegetables over chicken. Sprinkle with bacon and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Serve.

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