Sheet-Pan Chicken With Potatoes, Arugula and Garlic Yogurt

Sheet-Pan Chicken With Potatoes, Arugula and Garlic Yogurt

Your typical sheet-pan chicken recipe roasts everything together on a pan at once. This version pairs potatoes with the poultry, and tops everything off with fresh herbs and arugula, making it a true one-pan meal, salad included. A savory yogurt sauce adds a creamy touch, but it’s optional if you’re not a yogurt sauce fan. Feel free to double the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd, though make sure to use two sheet pans so that everything is spread out in one layer, which is critical for browning.

Yield: 4 servings

1½ pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks

1¼ pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes, halved and cut into ½-inch slices

2½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed

½ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed

2 tablespoons harissa (or use another thick hot sauce, such as sriracha)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

4½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

½ teaspoon lemon zest (from ½ lemon)

⅓ cup plain yogurt (do not use Greek yogurt)

1 small garlic clove

2 ounces baby arugula

Chopped fresh dill, as needed

Lemon juice, as needed

Combine chicken and potatoes in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together harissa, cumin and 3 tablespoons oil. Pour over chicken and potatoes and toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine leeks, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and the remaining 1½ tablespoons oil.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange chicken and potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 15 minutes. Toss potatoes lightly.

Scatter leeks over pan. Roast until chicken and potatoes are cooked through and everything is golden and slightly crisped, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

While chicken cooks, place yogurt in a small bowl. Grate garlic over yogurt and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon yogurt over chicken and vegetables in the pan. Scatter arugula and dill over mixture. Drizzle with oil and lemon juice and serve.

TIP: Very good. Had to substitute spinach for arugula and am eager to try when I have arugula. Otherwise all worked well according to the recipe. I have a tip for the dill: you can freeze fresh dill. Just snip it as you would for a recipe and spread on a sheet of plastic wrap, with wide margins. Roll the plastic up like a jelly roll and close the ends with twist ties. It's easy to remove just what you need for a dish. It's almost as good as fresh and certainly better than dried.

Fantastic! I double up on the chicken, using skinless/boneless breasts, so I have leftovers to throw into pasta, salads, tacos throughout the week. I also use baby spinach in place of arugula. Throw it UNDER the chicken & potatoes after you take the pan out of the oven and it just wilts and absorbs the marinade and chicken juices. Mmm.

Have made this wonderful recipe many times. I always seem to find another little tweak for it every time I make it. One thing that's good is to mix about a tablespoon of chopped dill into the garlic yogurt sauce and add a good squeeze of lemon juice. I always use Greek yogurt because there is no reason not to that I can discern, and it's the only kind of yogurt I have at hand. I serve this yogurt/garlic/dill sauce on the side rather than spoon it over the crispy chicken skin.