On this November 5, 2024, election day in the United States, I think we need a simple, easy-to-digest (!) dinner in anticipation of election results beginning to come in.
Melissa Clark, venerable NYT cook, to the rescue with a one-pan chicken dinner that will sooth even the most anxious of souls. Melissa uses 3 Tbsp. of olive oil in this dish, (which I cut back to 1 Tbsp.) and she keeps the skin on the chicken thighs so that they don't dry out in the heat of the oven. She says you can use chicken breasts if you prefer, but since they cook more quickly than dark meat, you'll need to start checking them after 30 minutes of total roasting time.
I bought chicken thighs at the Genoa meat market. They were skin-on, but the butcher trimmed off most of the fat, and I removed the skin after cooking. To make it a complete meal, I added a thickly sliced zucchini to the potatoes after the first 20 minutes of roasting time. What a lemony delight this dinner was! Delizioso!
By the way, even though I am in Italy until next week, I bought a bottle of champagne today to celebrate. Hope springs eternal!
2 lemons
1 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 to 3), patted dry with paper towels
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, halved and cut into ½-inch wedges
1 ¾ tsp. dried oregano, plus more for serving
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more for serving
¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Trim the ends off 1 lemon, then cut the lemon in half crosswise.Thinly slice one half of the lemon into rounds, then cut the rounds into quarters, creating small triangles. Shake out the seeds then place the lemon quarters into a large bowl. Save the remaining lemon half for serving. Cut the remaining whole lemon into wedges, for serving.
Add chicken and potatoes to the large bowl with the lemon quarters. Add the oregano, salt and pepper; toss well. Drizzle in the oil and toss again.
Arrange chicken thighs skin side up on one half of the sheet pan, and potatoes and lemons on the other, spreading the potatoes out into one layer. Roast for 20 minutes.
Using a long-handled spoon, stir the potatoes, then spread them out again in one layer. (You can add sliced zucchini now if you want.) You don’t have to touch the chicken. Continue roasting until chicken and potatoes are cooked through and everything is golden and crisped, another 15 to 20 minutes (40 to 45 minutes total roasting time).
To serve, squeeze the juice from the lemon half all over chicken and potatoes and give everything a good stir to incorporate all the juices and browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with more oregano and salt and serve.
Serves 2
WW Points per serving: 11