Spiced Chicken With Sweet Potatoes

By Yasmin Fahr

Published March 6, 2024

Spiced Chicken With Sweet Potatoes
Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
1¼ hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Rating
5(576)
Comments
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This sheet-pan recipe cooks chicken thighs much like roast chicken, setting the thighs in the center of a pan to cook slowly, seasoning the surrounding vegetables with their drippings as they turn golden. The chicken thus cooks in the oven, undisturbed — ideal for multitasking needs and tired nights — until the skin is impossibly crisp. It’s not necessary to push the vegetables around halfway, as the exposed parts might look crisped, but inside they are soft and full of delicious flavor as they cook in a light, mustard-flavored broth that ensures sauciness. Substitute other hearty vegetables like potatoes, brussels sprouts or mix and match with what you have lingering in the fridge.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1¼ to 1½pounds sweet potatoes (2 small/medium), unpeeled and cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
  • 1small red onion, halved then cut into ½-inch wedges
  • 4 to 6garlic cloves, smashed
  • 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • Salt
  • ½cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
  • 2teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2½ to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1lime, halved
  • ¼cup cilantro or parsley leaves and tender stems, gently torn or chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

911 calories; 59 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 55 grams protein; 1273 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, toss the sweet potatoes, onion and garlic with the olive oil and season lightly with salt.

  2. Step 2

    In a measuring cup, whisk the broth and mustard together until mostly smooth. Add to the pan, mixing everything together so nothing looks dry.

  3. Step 3

    Pat the chicken really, really dry, especially the skin. Nestle the chicken skin-side up between the vegetables so it has contact with the pan. (It’s OK if it’s crowded.) Season the skin with the oregano, paprika and some salt, patting them to adhere to the skin. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil.

  4. Step 4

    Cook until the chicken skin is very crispy and the vegetables fork-tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the thighs. Rotate the pan halfway if some parts of the pan look dry.

  5. Step 5

    Squeeze half a lime over everything, and cut the remaining lime half into wedges for serving. Garnish with the cilantro and serve, stirring and scraping up anything on the bottom of the pan to spoon over the chicken and vegetables.

Ratings

5 out of 5
576 user ratings
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Comments

pap_o_lee

This was beyond easy and a good option for sweet potato lovers. I followed pretty closely —just added a bit more of everything for the big eaters I have…and didn’t do cilantro/lime only fresh parsley. The chicken was perfectly cooked and moist and the skin was delicious. I will add more onion and dial up the Dijon even more next time — my Dijon got lost and without the bright herb/lime, I needed it. Still yummers tho.

sarah

Easy and very tasty. I used yellow onion since I didn’t have red. Was out of Dijon but I had some Boars Head dijonaise and it tasted great. My paprika was the Hungarian hot paprika so there was a little kick to it. Served with an arugula salad and crusty bread. Nice change of tastes and so nice to only have one pan to wash. The potato and onions were starting to burn so I lowered the temperature for the last 15 minutes. But the little bit of burn gave a nice caramelized taste.

Jacky

This was great. I took some advice from the comments - more onions, Dijon and cooked at 400. A keeper!

alliepinnyc

Made this tonight with minor changes (see below) but this was outright delicious and we will definitely make it again! I didn’t hear my timer go off to flip the sheet halfway through and it still came out delicious while I was finishing work (I know everyone’s oven is different but I got lucky here!) -made with boneless chicken thighs -cooked at 400 for about 30-35 mins -used granulated garlic because I was feeling incredibly lazy and didn’t want to peel cloves. Put it on the chicken with the paprika and oregano… still delicious! -used chicken bone broth because I had it -served with yogurt and arugula Do not skip the lime! Enjoy!

jaidyn

I have made this a few times now, it’s very good! Some recommendations: 1. Make sure it IS chicken thighs because any other cut will get incredibly dry 2. I know a lot of ppl liked it with more Dijon but personally I think the 2tsp is actually perfect, I have added more and it kind of dominated the flavor of the sweet potatoes and onions 3. Definitely cook on 400 instead for around an 1hr - 1hr 15 min 4. If you salt the chicken first in a separate dish ans let sit for 10 or so minutes, then dry with paper towel, you will draw out more moisture and it will be much more juicy at the end.

Linda

Delicious and easy. Had a bulb of fennel around, sliced and added to the pan, which gave it a fresh taste. Also sprinkled it with a citrusy "everything" spice mix before baking.

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