The weather this Labor Day weekend hasn’t been too congenial for a cookout. It seems Mother Nature has been in a changeable mood, sunny for a while, then cloudy, then stormy, and hot and muggy the whole while. So I took the chicken I was meaning to grill indoors and gave it an old-fashioned treatment that brought me back to Angelina’s Sunday dinners: cut up in pieces, mixed with potatoes, drizzled with a generous measure of oil and seasonings and roasted in the oven. Nothing could be simpler or more satisfying.
Angelina had her own take on the classic Italian baked chicken and potatoes, which is usually made with garlic and rosemary. Angelina used more onion than garlic, which gives the dish a pleasant, mellow sweetness, and substituted parsley for the rosemary. And she added a bit of parmesan cheese (not too much) for extra savoriness. Sometimes she added a bit of chopped tomato, too. The result is not very pretty to look at perhaps, and it certainly isn’t elegant. But it is honest, unpretentious cooking, and it sure is delicious eating!
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
- 1 young chicken, cut into serving pieces
- 4-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 1 médium onion, finely sliced
- 50g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan cheese
- A handful of parsley, finely chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Optional:
- A few ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
Directions
Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Be very generous with the salt, pepper and especially the olive oil.
Arrange the chicken and potatoes in a baking dish large enough to accommodate the ingredients. (The chicken needs to be in a single layer, with potatoes strewn around them.) Drizzle any remaining oil from the mixing bowl, together with a bit of white wine or water over all.
Roast in a moderately hot oven (375°F/190°C) for an hour, or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through and golden brown. Turn the ingredients once or twice during the roasting process for even cooking, and baste it from time to time with the oil and cooking juices. But let it alone for the last 10 minutes to allow a nice crust to form. If, on the other hand, the chicken seems to be browning too quickly, lower the temperature a bit (to 180°C/350°F).
Let the dish rest for at least 15 minutes or so before serving, so the juices can be absorbed back into the chicken and potatoes.
Notes
The real secret of making a delicious chicken and potatoes is not to go light on the seasonings, in particular the oil and salt. Yes, I know, I know… but if you want that old fashioned taste, you just can’t skimp on either. When you take the dish out of the oven, it will seem to be swimming in oil—that’s the way it should be. After the dish rests—and resting is the other key step here—the oil will be drawn back into the chicken and potatoes and infuse it with unctuous deliciousness. Other than that, as you can see, the dish practically cooks itself.
You want a young chicken, a ‘fryer’ rather than a roaster, cut into ten pieces: two drumsticks, two thighs, two wings, and each breast (bone in) cut into two. Each piece should be small enough that the seasonings can really penetrate the meat. For the same reason, you should give the chicken a long cooking time as indicated in the recipe. Don’t worry, the generous amount of oil will keep the chicken from drying out, so long as you turn and baste the pieces as directed.
Some recipes will call for splashing a little white wine on your chicken and potatoes before placing them in the oven. Angelina didn’t do that but there’s nothing to stop you if you want to. I do find that modern chickens tend to give off quite a bit of liquid on their own, however, so judge for yourself.
Long-time readers may recognize chicken and potatoes as a close relative to another meat and potato dish: agnello e patate al forno, which we featured some time back.
Angelina’s pollo al forno con patate (Chicken with Potatoes)
Ingredients
- 1 young chicken cut into serving pieces
- 4-6 medium potatoes peeled and cut into wedges
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 1 médium onion finely sliced
- 50 g 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- A handful of parsley finely chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Optional:
- A few ripe tomatoes roughly chopped
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Be very generous with the salt, pepper and especially the olive oil.
- Arrange the chicken and potatoes in a baking dish large enough to accommodate the ingredients. (The chicken needs to be in a single layer, with potatoes strewn around them.) Drizzle any remaining oil from the mixing bowl, together with a bit of white wine or water over all.
- Roast in a moderately hot oven (375°F/190°C) for an hour, or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through and golden brown. Turn the ingredients once or twice during the roasting process for even cooking, and baste it from time to time with the oil and cooking juices. But let it alone for the last 10 minutes to allow a nice crust to form. If, on the other hand, the chicken seems to be browning too quickly, lower the temperature a bit (to 180°C/350°F).
- Let the dish rest for at least 15 minutes or so before serving, so the juices can be absorbed back into the chicken and potatoes.
Discover more from Memorie di Angelina
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
And you might also like...
Pici all’aglione
Spaghetti con la bottarga
Garofolato (Roman Pot Roast)
Ossobuco di tacchino (Turkey Ossobuco)
Spaghetti al nero di seppia (Spaghetti with Squid Ink)
Zuppa alla canavesana (Piedmontese Bread and Cabbage Soup)
Peperoni ripieni di carne (Italian Meat Stuffed Peppers)
Sciusceddu alla messinese
Trippa alla fiorentina (Florentine Style Tripe)
Timballo teramano
32 Comments on “Pollo al forno con patate (Baked Chicken and Potatoes)”
This has become a staple in our kitchen 🙂 Works for my Italian husband, works for me! And I would disagree with the dish not looking great… Everytime I pull the tray out of the oven, I’m tempted to take picture, since it looks so wonderful! I’ve made it from breast, bone-in thighs and drumsticks – everything has worked fine!
That’s fantastic, delighted to hear it. 🙂
Made this today for the first time. Turned out delicious! 8 bone in chicken thighs with skin, Yukon gold potatoes, yellow onion, romano instead of parmesan cheese (MY sainted grandmother’s preference), I cup light olive oil, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper, 1/2 cu chardonnay. Sorry but I have to measure: I am a pharmacist!! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it, Debbie! And thanks for leaving a message. 🙂
Wow, this was amazing. I tried it once, just taking your suggestions & it didn’t work. This time I followed your directions but–since we’re a family of two–swapped out the whole chicken for chicken thighs on the bone. Instead of basting, as my baking dish was packed, I put the chicken skin side down for half the time then flipped them. To get a little crispy action on the now soft skin, I rubbed a knob of bacon drippings after flipping to skin side up. I was low on olive oil & out of garlic, my nonna would be so ashamed, so I added 1.5 onions, used canola oil, & drizzled olive oil over everything at the halfway point. It was fabulous this time–& will be a weekly staple!
Thanks, Sebastian! I like that you held back on the olive so as to maximize its flavor, great idea if you’re running low!
Grazie maestro! This is now a weekly staple for us. This week — overwhelmed by the many chicken & butternut squash recipes — I simply swapped out the potatoes for the squash. The squash was so moist it was a perfect combination.
Thank you Frank…one more question? Did you use EVOO or “Regular” olive oil?
EVOO, always!
Frank, I always look forward to your posts.
Are the potatoes in this recipe russet, yukon, red?
Look forward to your thoughts.
Kim
Thanks so much, Kim! You can really use any sort of potato for this dish, but personally I used Yukon golds. Reds would also work well. I’d avoid the Russets as they would tend to break up and turn mealy.
Frank, I just send you an email with a question, but I forgot to request that you please notify me of follow up comments by email.
Hedy
Very good and very easy…Simple! It's a winner! I've already incorporated this dish in my everyday cookery…As for the wine, I never use wine when cooking roasted potatoes…It seems to create a strange chemical reaction: potatoes get a underdone consistency, as if they were raw no matter how much time they stay in the oven…When I roast fish or meat and want to add some wine for seasoning I always roast the potatoes separately…But this chicken needs no wine.
Beatriz Tavares
A very nice recipe! My mother didn't like to turn on the oven, so when she made chicken it was always in a pan. It was good (white wine, rosemary, etc.), but I craved roasted chicken and potatoes. As a result, I have a soft spot for roasted chicken 🙂
Tried the recipe last night…..the dish turned out excellent…..Thanks and looking forward to many more.
What a great dish! I love simple chicken and potatoes. And I love the ones swimming in oil even more!
I love the simplicity of your cooking!! It reminds me of Sunday dinners at grandmas 🙂 Delishious.
Thanks again, folks! I couldn't agree more that taste beats out looks every time!
This recipe is great, I'm having a lady over for dinner and I will do my best to impress her with this Italian dish! Keep your fingers crossed!
Don't skimp, simple seasonings – almost peasant fare – perfect for my cool nights. Not looking for beauty – looking for flavor and a grand reason to talk at the dinner table. Double nourishment.
that is my kind of eating – many times the best, simple unpretentious as you say, not the prettiest, but the tastiest there is, and I would agree with the use of parsley here…
Hey Frank. I can't believe you posted this today I was just woolie (Fariello language for craving for all of you who don't know) for this dish!! As Frank's sister, I can atest to how unbelievable this dish is. Can't wait to make it tonight!!! And YES the oil is KEY!!! Now if I can only learn how to make your penne ala vodka…..
Thanks, folks, for your comments! This is a dish that holds a lot of meaning for me, homely as it is. Nice to know that other people, too, enjoy this kind of 'old time' eating!
@Alzin Bloor: Many thanks for the kind words! Do feel free to stop by any time… :=))
I'm looking forward to making this! I give Italian and French cooking classes and absolutely love sites like yours for authenticity! Thx!
OMG, this dish looks absolutely spectacular!
Absolutely stunning! I'm a fan of olive oil and salt….and I completely agree with you. Some dishes, you've just gotta splurge!
Great recipe. Love it. Yum! Happy Labor Day!
Definitely Mama's comfort food……I can smell it now. And it comforts me!
This reminds me of those wonderful Greek potatoes – but without the lemon. It sounds fantastic!!! kate@kateiscooking
Agree w/Peggy about taste. But your pic still makes it look delicious!
Sometimes taste far-outweighs beauty – and this is one of those times! This meals sounds utterly delicious =)
My mouth is watering as I am reading this. In my mind I can taste this chicken already and I want seconds. Nice to see you posting again.