Moist and tender skillet chicken and potatoes is a great one pot meal! Filled with red bell peppers, salty Kalamata olives and tangy lemon wedges. It's easy to make and a meal the whole family will enjoy!.
Another fantastic cast iron skillet meal you'll enjoy is this Salisbury Steak Recipe! It makes its own gravy, it's easy to make and delicious!
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Why you'll love this recipe
✔️ It's easy to make.
✔️ As the chicken bakes the pan juices braises the potatoes and vegetables and boy is it good!
✔️ The crispy skin with the lemon and garlic is delicious!
Like this recipe for French Onion Chicken Bake, this is an easy weeknight dinner, the whole family will love. A one pot wholesome meal, that makes clean up a breeze!
Ingredients
For the exact measurements for Cast Iron Chicken and Potatoes, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs - though you can certainly use drumsticks, chicken tenders or chicken breasts - really any cut you enjoy.
- potatoes - small baby potatoes are my first choice, however if you have larger potatoes that works too. Peel the potatoes and dice into two inch chunks.
- yellow onion, red bell pepper, lemon and salty Kalamata olives
- for the marinade you'll need: olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
- diced tomatoes and parsley for garnish.
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. For the complete directions for lemon chicken just scroll down to the bottom!
- Add the seasonings - olive oil, Italian seasoning, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a large sealable plastic bag. Season chicken by adding to the bag and massaging the meat, refrigerate.
- Slice the lemon into wedges. Slice potatoes in half so they are uniform in size, peel and slice the onions.
- Preheat the oven.
- Remove the meat from the marinade, shaking off the excess liquid.
- Fry the chicken skin side down in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for about three minutes. Remove and set on a platter.
- Add the potatoes to the hot skillet cut side down give it a good shake to coat them with oil.
- Add the onions and red pepper to the skillet. Top with chicken, skin side up. Tuck the olives and ½ of the lemon slices wherever they fit.
- Bake for about 40 minutes.
- Check the temperature of the chicken. It is done when it registers 165 degrees on an instant read meat thermometer and when the potatoes are fork tender.
- Garnish with lemon slices, fresh parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Equipment
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- 12" cast iron skillet or large dutch oven.
- I use stainless steel tongs all the time and have three because one is always in the dishwasher!
FAQ's
Yes and topping the vegetables with the marinaded meat allows the chicken juices to baste the veggies as the cook making them so tasty!!!
I love this easy marinade for this meal. If you want to take a shortcut use ½ cup Italian salad dressing instead of making your own..
Baking at 375 degrees cooks the chicken thoroughly and helps crisp up the skin.
Absolutely! Place the potatoes in the bottom of the skillet and the chicken skin-side up, on top. Allow the flavors from the marinaded chicken baste the potatoes and vegetables as they cook.
Great question! Whole u0022babyu0022 potatoes take 40-50 minutes to cook but when potatoes are cubed or quartered they cook more quickly - 30-40 minutes.
This meal is ready when the potatoes are tender and the chicken hits an internal temperature of 165 degrees and pan juices run clear.
Tips
Don't skimp on the Kalamata olives! It seems many aren't as fond of this olive as the regular black olives, but they are so salty and add just the right amount of tang to skillet chicken and potatoes.
Spoon the pan sauce garlic butter over the potatoes before serving - delicious! It also makes a great gravy.
If these aren't for you substitute with salty green olives, you'll love the bite and tanginess they add to the dish.
Meal Prep - this is a great freezer prep meal. Get a head start by prepaing the marinade, add the chicken and massage it in the meat. Then seal the bag and place it directly in the freezer.
When you're ready to make this meal, allow the meat to thaw in the refrigerator first before baking.
Well sealed, It will last up to three months in the freezer.
Variations
You can add many different types of vegetables to the skillet, green beans or broccoli would be delicious!
Skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts would be great and would cut down on the amount of fat in the meal. Additionally it would cut down on the cooking time!
Serving suggestions
Something green would go really nicely with this meal! Grilled asparagus, roasted broccoli even a tossed salad would be great choices! And if you didn't want to roast them separately add them to the skillet and they can cook right along with the chicken.
If you'd like some gravy to top these potatoes, learn how to make gravy from scratch here!
Related recipes
Looking for more easy recipes? Here you go!
- Tex Mex Skillet Chicken and Zucchini - another great one pot meal. It's creamy, easy to make and delicious! The pan is stuffed with zucchini, seasoned chicken and topped with a creamy, cheesy sauce!
- Sausage Peppers and Onions Pasta - easy to make this simple skillet pasta is saucy and cheesy - what's not to love?!!!
- Unstuffed Pepper Casserole - Easy to make because there's no fuzzy prep work and it's so delicious!
Click here for easy chicken casserole recipes!
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Cast Iron Chicken and Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs bone in/skin on
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes I used baby red potatoes, but you can use any potato you prefer
- 1 onion peeled and quartered
- ½ red pepper seeded and diced
- 1 lemon sliced into wedges, seeds removed.
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives go a little heavy on the olives, they add so much flavor!
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
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Instructions
- Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken and massage everything around. Refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
- *If you're making a freezer meal, stop here and freeze the chicken with the marinade until you're ready to bake the meal.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off the excess. Discard the marinade, it can not be reused. Pat the skinside with paper towels.
- Slice the lemon into wedges. Slice potatoes in half so they are uniform in size. Peel and slice the onions, cutting them into wedges also.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- When the skillet is hot place chicken thighs skin side down and saute for about three minutes until the top of the chicken is golden brown. Remove and set on a platter.
- Add the potatoes to the skillet. Give the skillet a good shake to coat with the oil from the pan.
- Now add the onions and red bell pepper chunks to the skillet. Top with the chicken, placing it skin side up. Tuck the olives and ½ of the lemon slices in wherever they fit.
- Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. The meal is ready when the chicken registers 165 degrees on an instant read meat thermometer and when the potatoes are fork tender.
- If the skin of the chicken doesn't crispy up, tuck it under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until crispy.
Notes
Nutrition
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Don't worry, we'll never share your email.Originally published July 12, 2020 - Updated July 4, 2021 to improve instructions.
Lois
I made this meal last week and it was very tasty meal. Very easily put together and just delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Ang
This looks so delicious! What a great weeknight meal 🙂
Could you use a different kind of olives instead?
Bowl Me Over
Absolutely, you can use regular black olives or even green olives. If olives aren't your thing, omit them! Having said that they add such a tangy saltiness. A sprinkle of feta cheese would be a good substitute for the salty bite also!