by Anne Maxfield

Sheet Pan Chicken with Potatoes, Arugula and Garlic Yogurt Sauce

1 ½ pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks

1 ¼ pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes, halved and cut into ½-inch slices

2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed

½ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed

2 tablespoons harissa (or to taste)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

4 ½ tablespoons 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

1. 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.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine leeks, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons oil.

3. Heat oven to 425°. 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.

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

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

My verdict:

Like I said in the intro, miraculously all the ingredients were in the house! I did all the prep and made the yogurt sauce (adding about ½ teaspoon of lemon juice) while the thighs were thawing. Then, all I needed to do was pop it on a sheet pan (which I’ve taken to lining with parchment to make cleaning up easier) and bake it.

It was delicious! The potatoes were amazing, and the chicken was great! We’ll definitely be having this again.

A few comments from readers who had made it, taught me to keep the potatoes on the outside perimeter to help them crisp and try to put the leeks under the chicken and potatoes so they wouldn’t singe. Both worked well. The next time, I might slice the leeks a little thicker, it wouldn’t hurt the cooking time, and there would be less chance of singeing them.

The third helpful comment was to put the arugula on the plates and then plate the chicken and potatoes on top, so the arugula doesn’t get too warm and wilted. Also, a good idea.

If you’re not a fan of spicy food, you might want to go easy on the harissa. My favorite brand is spicy and flavorful, but not killer.

The dill is probably optional, if you have it great, if not cilantro might even be better. I added lemon juice to the yogurt, so went a little easy with it on the chicken. 

AdamO

February 23, 2018 at 6:10 am

STORAGE Arugula keeps best when loosely packed and stored in a sealed bag or container, stored in the crisper of the refrigerator. Don’t rinse the arugula until you are ready to eat it, or pack it too tightly; both will result in premature wilting, and if left long enough, your arugula will turn to mush.

PREPARATION Other than rinsing just prior to consumption, arugula doesn’t require any special preparation to eat. Raw arugula makes a delicious base to a salad, either on its own or mixed with a variety of fresh greens, or it may also be very lightly sautéed and added to other cooked dishes. Italians sometimes top their pizzas with arugula, either sprinkled over the pie at the very end to be cooked for only the last few minutes or added raw just after the pizza has been removed from the oven.