Baked Chicken Thighs & Potatoes

by Kayla Berman on May 15, 2025 0 comments

Master weeknight dinners with my quick and easy recipe for Baked Chicken Thighs and Potatoes! All you need are 10 simple ingredients, 15 minutes of active prep, and a single sheet pan to make this flavorful and nutritionally balanced meal.

When it comes to busy nights, there’s nothing like a good one pot (or one pan) meal. This sheet pan chicken thighs and potatoes recipe is no exception! Whisk up a quick marinade, chop a few veggies, toss everything on a pan, throw it in the oven, and presto! Dinner is done.

This simple recipe template opens up a whole world of chicken dinner possibilities—my sweet and sour sheet pan Hawaiian pineapple chicken, zesty sheet pan chicken fajitas, and Asian-inspired sheet pan honey soy chicken thighs are perfect examples. But, the fun doesn’t end there!

You can also tweak sheet pan recipes to suit your needs—add some color to your plate by making these baked chicken thighs with potatoes and carrots, or omit the spuds altogether in favor of lower-carb cauliflower. Not a fan of dark meat? Chicken breasts work, too. With a sheet pan, an oven, and some creativity, the culinary world is your oyster.

Want more easy-to-prep, easy-to-cleanup sheet pan recipes? Check out my chicken apple sausage sheet pan dinner, sheet pan salmon with broccoli and potatoes, and sheet pan sausage and peppers next!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Sheet Pan Recipe

Simply Delicious – You don’t need much to make super juicy chicken thighs and roasted potatoes—just 10 basic ingredients and only 15 minutes of prep.
Super Flavorful – Between the warmly spiced honey apple cider vinegar marinade, the crisp-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside potatoes, sweet alliums, and succulent dark meat chicken, every bite of this one-pan dinner is pure heaven.
Endlessly Tweakable – Add or swap your veggies, use light meat chicken breasts, or alter the seasoning blend to suit your dietary needs, flavor preferences, and your pantry. Read on for more ideas!

Nutritional Deep Dive

Each generous portion of my roasted chicken thighs and potatoes recipe is roughly 500 calories—right in the perfect range for low-calorie diets. It’s also packed with a whopping 30.5 grams of protein, which is more than half of the recommended amount for an average 150-pound person. Not too shabby!

You’re also getting 24 grams of fat per serving, which can help with satiety and nutrient absorption. Most of the fat is unsaturated since we’re using skinless chicken thighs—experts recommend that no more than 10% of your calories come from saturated fats, so we’re in good shape. You’re also looking at about 46 grams of carbs, roughly 2 of which come from fiber.

All in all, this cozy chicken dinner fits well with my dietary needs, but there are tons of ways to tweak it to suit yours! Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

For more protein, consider swapping in chicken breasts or turkey breasts, which have about 12-13 more grams of protein than thighs per 100 gram serving. Alternatively, you could use pork tenderloin medallions. All of these options will also reduce the calorie load.
If you need more fiber, make chicken thighs and sweet potatoes (which have about 30-40% more fiber than white potatoes). You can also add more veggies to your plate—a side of my roasted cauliflower and carrots could bake alongside the chicken! For something lighter, a chopped Mediterranean salad would be awesome.
Need fewer carbs? Swap in cauliflower florets for the potatoes. (This will also increase your fiber and reduce your calories.)

Ingredient Spotlight:

Chicken thighs often get a bad wrap—because they’re dark meat, they’re higher in fat than chicken breasts. But, fat isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s a necessary component in your diet, and is essential to brain and heart function! And, while chicken skin is high in saturated fat, that’s not the case with boneless skinless thighs, which only have 2-3 grams per 100 gram serving.

The extra fat means that chicken thighs are extra juicy, and much harder to overcook and dry out—something chicken breasts are notorious for. Oh, and did I mention they’re usually way cheaper than chicken breasts, too? 🤑

Beyond having a relatively good makeup of fats, chicken thighs are a great source of vital nutrients. They’re a great source of complete protein—20 grams per 100 gram serving. They have twice as much iron as chicken breasts, as well as more zinc. Thighs are also a good source of B vitamins, not to mention tryptophan—an amino acid linked to improved mood.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – The heart of our recipe! Trim any excess fat as needed, but don’t go too nuts—some will render off into the potatoes.
Honey – A little bit of sweetness helps balance the acidity of the vinegary marinade and promotes better caramelization. Feel free to swap in agave nectar, maple syrup, or even a little brown sugar.
Apple Cider Vinegar – ACV adds bright, tangy acidity and helps tenderize the meat. If you don’t have any on hand, rice wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice are all good options. (Note that lemon and white wine vinegar are more tart and less sweet, so you may want to up the honey a tad.)
Onion Powder – For sweet, allium complexity. If you only have dried onion flakes, use 3x as much. You can also use garlic powder if you prefer.
Paprika – I used regular sweet paprika here for just a touch of warmth. Feel free to use hot Hungarian paprika if you prefer a spicier bite.
Red Pepper Flakes – Adding some tongue-tingling chili flakes to the marinade gives your marinade some interest without tasting “hot.” You’re welcome to dial the heat up or down by adding more or less to taste.
Baby Potatoes – Any color of baby potato will do! Fingerling potatoes also work. Or, you can chop regular wax potatoes (e.g. Yukon Gold or red potatoes) if needed.
Shallots – Consider these oval-shaped alliums red onions-lite—they don’t have quite the same sharpness. If you can’t find them, a sweet yellow onion or regular red onion will work!
Garlic – Fresh garlic is best here—thin slices are best suited to the recipe. That said, you can use jarred minced garlic in a pinch.
Fresh Thyme – This pretty little herb adds an earthy, peppery warmth that I love. Don’t have any fresh? Use ⅓ as many dried thyme leaves.

How To Make Chicken Thighs & Potatoes

This speedy sheet pan dinner will be ready before you know it! Here’s how:

Step 1: Make Marinade. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Add 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper, plus the honey, vinegar, onion powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Stir well.

Step 2: Marinate Chicken Thighs. Pour the mixture over the chicken thighs and stir them to coat well. Allow the chicken to rest in the seasoning mixture for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Prep Potatoes. While the chicken is resting, combine the potatoes, shallots, sliced garlic, fresh thyme along with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir well to coat the potatoes.

Step 4: Roast Potatoes Halfway. Spread the potatoes in an even layer in a 9×13 baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Step 5: Roast Chicken Thighs. Remove the pan from the oven and stir the potatoes to coat with the seasoning and help them crisp up more evenly. Nestle the chicken thighs into the potatoes and pour any leftover marinade over the chicken. Return the sheet pan to the oven for another 25-30 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF and the potatoes are fork tender. Enjoy!

olive oil, seasonings, spices, and honey in a small mixing bowl before whisking to make the chicken thighs and potatoes marinade.

raw chicken thighs in a mixing bowl with the marinade.

Optional Variations

Chicken Breast – As I mentioned earlier, you’re welcome to swap in boneless skinless chicken breasts for a lighter meal. Just note that breasts are more likely to dry out, so you have to be careful. I recommend pounding them out to an even thickness—this will help them cook more evenly—and check their temperature after 20 minutes. If you have time in the schedule, consider brining the breasts overnight in a simple salt-sugar-water mixture, draining, then marinating as directed.
Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Pieces – These cuts take longer to roast, but are perfectly acceptable for our recipe. Marinate the chicken for about 30 minutes, then add the potatoes and chicken pieces to the same sheet pan at the same time. Cook as instructed, stirring halfway through.
Use Different Veggies – This chicken thigh recipe should work with just about any vegetable that you like to serve roasted. This includes cauliflower or broccoli, carrots or parsnips, button or cremini mushrooms. If you use more delicate vegetables (e.g. asparagus), consider roasting them at the same time as your chicken—they won’t take as long to cook!
Keto-Friendly – Use cauliflower florets in place of the potatoes and use your favorite sugar-free sweetener in place of the honey. Note that not all sweeteners are equally sweet—you may need to use more or less than the recipe calls for. I recommend tasting the marinade before adding the chicken to help you gauge!

Expert Tips

Cut the potatoes evenly to ensure even cooking. That means approximately the same thickness for all of them! If you’re using baby potatoes, halve the smaller ones and quarter the larger ones. For regular potatoes, try to aim for about the length and width of the tip of your thumb to your thumb knuckle. (And don’t peel them—that’s where the bulk of the fiber and nutrients are!)
Line your sheet pan for easy clean-up. If possible, use foil which results in better browning than parchment paper. PRO BUDGET HACK: You can wash foil with soap, water, and a sponge to reuse it multiple times.
Don’t over-marinate the chicken thighs! The acid in the vinegar will help to tenderize and flavor the meat, but only to a point. Beyond about 12-24 hours, the acid unravels the protein molecules and can make it mushy. If you want to meal prep, either keep the marinade in a separate container in the fridge ~OR~ add the chicken thighs to a freezer bag, pour the marinade over, squish it all around, then remove as much air as possible before sealing and freezing.

Serving Suggestions

The great thing about this oven roasted chicken thighs and potatoes recipe is it’s all-inclusive! You’ve got your protein and side all on one tray. That said, they play well with others. Try:

Adding some green to your plate with my smashed broccoli parmesan, honey garlic green beans, crack green beans, or green bean casserole.
Offering a dipping sauce like my cucumber dill tzatziki, basil cashew pesto, or sun-dried tomato hummus—so yummy on roast potatoes!
Getting extra carby with a garlic bread baguette for sopping up all the juicy goodness.
Hosting a dinner party? Don’t forget an appetizer with a complementary flavor profilelike my whipped brie cheese spread with honey, garlic and herbs and a stellar dessert like my crescent roll peach cobbler.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Leftover roast chicken thighs and potatoes should be allowed to cool, then transferred to an airtight container. (You can also divvy them up into individual grab-and-go portions.) They will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
For longer storage, you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Note that you want to make sure there is no condensation gathering in your container before freezing. I recommend pressing some plastic wrap directly against the surface of the meal to ward off freezer burn as long as possible.
To reheat, allow to defrost in the fridge overnight (if needed), then bake in an oven or toaster oven set to 350ºF until heated through—about 15 minutes. You can also microwave them in a covered container if you like, but the potatoes will lose their crisp if you do.

FAQs

Can you bake chicken thighs and potatoes together?

Heck yeah! Just note that they might roast at different speeds. In the recipe below, we’re using boneless skinless chicken thighs, which don’t take as long as the potatoes. To balance things out, we give the taters a headstart in the oven, then add the chicken later. However, if you’re using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, I recommend starting them at the same time—the bones and skin make them take longer to cook.

At what temperature and for how long should I roast chicken thighs and potatoes?

I personally like to roast my potatoes and chicken thighs at 400ºF to get a nice, caramelized exterior on the chicken and crisp edges on the potatoes. The length of time will vary depending on the size of your potatoes and whether your chicken is boneless & skinless or bone-in & skin-on. Here we use bite-sized potato pieces, which take about 45 minutes to cook fully, while the boneless skinless thighs take just 25-30 minutes to cook through—because of this, we don’t add the chicken until later in the cooking process.

Are boneless or bone-in chicken thighs better?

It depends what you’re after! I love boneless chicken thighs because they’re quick-cooking and flavorful, but bone-in chicken thighs are great if you’re using a stronger cooking method (e.g. grilling) or love crispy chicken skin.

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