Baked Chicken & Potatoes (Wire Rack Method!)

overhead shot of baked chicken and potatoes served on small white plate with tenderstem broccoli

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5 from 4 votes

Baked Chicken & Potatoes (Wire Rack Method!)

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

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Universal

Servings: - 4

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £2 / $2.50

Equipment

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

Ingredients

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

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.

Nutrition