Are you on the hunt for the ultimate one-pan meal? A complete, family-friendly, and incredibly flavorful dinner that comes together on a single sheet pan with the easiest cleanup imaginable? This amazing, restaurant-quality One-Pan Garlic Chicken and Potatoes is that perfect recipe! We’re talking impossibly crispy-skinned, juicy chicken and creamy, golden-brown roasted potatoes, all tossed in a savory, zesty ranch seasoning and finished with the magical sweetness of whole roasted garlic.
This isn’t just another sheet pan recipe; it’s a guide to your new weeknight superstar. We’ll show you the simple but brilliant secrets to the crispiest chicken skin and potatoes you’ve ever made in the oven, all thanks to a few smart, professional techniques. This is a satisfying, soulful, and deeply comforting meal that is perfect for any night of the week.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Easy & Crispy Sheet Pan Dinner
What makes this Garlic Chicken and Potatoes so spectacularly delicious is its incredible, deep flavor and its brilliantly simple one-pan preparation. This recipe is a masterpiece of modern efficiency. The dish features juicy, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks, which are tossed with creamy baby Yukon Gold potatoes in a simple but powerful “shortcut” seasoning of a packet of ranch dressing mix. The secret to the incredible, crispy texture is a two-stage roasting process on a preheated pan. The entire dish is roasted alongside a whole head of garlic, which becomes unbelievably sweet and tender, and is finished with a bright squeeze of fresh lemon and a sprinkle of parsley.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 50 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 4 |
The Essential Ingredients for This Flavorful Meal
This iconic dish uses a handful of smart shortcuts and high-quality ingredients to create its signature comforting and savory flavor.
- The Chicken:
- For the absolute most flavorful and juiciest result, it is essential to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks. As the chicken cooks, the bone adds an incredible, deep flavor, and the skin renders its delicious fat, which in turn helps to crisp up the potatoes and becomes unbelievably golden brown and delicious.
- The Potatoes:
- Baby Yukon Gold potatoes are a fantastic choice for this recipe. Their naturally thin skin doesn’t need to be peeled, and their creamy, buttery texture is absolutely perfect for roasting.
- The Ranch Seasoning Hack:
- This is the brilliant shortcut that makes this recipe so easy and delicious! A simple, 1-ounce packet of your favorite brand of dry ranch seasoning mix provides all the complex, herbaceous, and savory flavors of dill, chives, garlic, and onion in one easy step.
- The Roasted Garlic:
- This is the secret, gourmet touch that takes this simple dish to another level! By roasting a whole head of garlic in foil, the pungent, sharp raw cloves transform into something magical: incredibly sweet, mellow, and soft enough to spread like butter.
The Sheet Pan Masterclass: The Secret to a Perfect Roast
This recipe uses a few simple but brilliant techniques that guarantee a flawless, crispy result every single time.
- Preheat Your Pan: By placing your heavy baking sheet in the oven while the oven preheats, you are essentially turning it into a giant, flat griddle. When you place your chicken and potatoes on the screaming-hot pan, the bottoms will immediately begin to sear and crisp up, which is the number one secret to avoiding a soggy, steamed result.
- Start Skin-Side Down: This is the professional chef’s secret to the crispiest chicken skin! By starting the chicken skin-side down, you are allowing all the fat from under the skin to slowly render out.
- The Final Flip: When you flip the chicken to be skin-side up for the final stage of roasting, the now-rendered, fatless skin has direct exposure to the hot, circulating air of the oven, which is the key that allows it to become incredibly crisp, shatteringly golden brown, and completely irresistible.
Step-by-Step to the Best Garlic Ranch Chicken and Potatoes
This delicious, one-pan meal is incredibly simple to prepare.
Step 1: Prepare the Garlic and the Ranch Chicken & Potatoes
Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C). Place a large, rimmed baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack to warm up as the oven preheats.
Step 2: Prepare your garlic. Remove any loose, papery outer leaves from the whole head of garlic and use a sharp knife to slice about 1/4- to 1/2-inch off the top of the cloves. Place the garlic in the center of a piece of foil, drizzle the cut side with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and then pull up the sides of the foil to close it into a tight packet.
Step 3: In a large bowl, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the 1-ounce packet of ranch seasoning mix. Stir them together to combine.
Step 4: Pat your chicken pieces completely dry. Add the chicken and your halved baby potatoes to the bowl with the ranch mixture and toss everything together until it is well coated.
Part 2: The Two-Stage Roast
Step 1: Carefully remove your preheated pan from the oven. Place your foil-wrapped garlic packet on the pan.
Step 2: Arrange your seasoned chicken, skin-side down, on the hot baking sheet. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer around the chicken.
Step 3: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown on the bottom.
Step 4: Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Use a pair of tongs to flip the chicken so it is now skin-side up. Stir the potatoes.
Step 5: Return the pan to the oven and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 more minutes. You will know the dish is perfectly done when the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F and the potatoes are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork.
Part 3: Finish and Serve
Carefully remove the garlic packet from the pan and unwrap it. Squeeze the juice from your halved lemon over all the chicken and potatoes in the pan. Garnish with the 1/4 cup of fresh, chopped parsley.
Serve the chicken and potatoes immediately with the roasted garlic on the side. The best way to enjoy the roasted garlic is to simply squeeze the soft, sweet, and buttery cloves out of their skins and scatter them over the chicken and potatoes.
One-Pan Garlic Ranch Chicken and Potatoes
An easy and flavorful one-pan recipe for garlic chicken and potatoes, perfect for a weeknight dinner. In this simple sheet pan meal, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and baby potatoes are tossed in a savory mixture of olive oil and a packet of ranch seasoning mix. The chicken and potatoes are roasted on a preheated baking sheet alongside a whole head of garlic until the chicken is crispy and the potatoes are tender. The finished dish is brightened with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and served with the soft, sweet roasted garlic cloves.
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 (1-ounce) packet ranch seasoning mix
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
- 1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven to heat up.
- Prepare the Ingredients: Slice the top 1/4 to 1/2-inch off the head of garlic. Place it on a piece of foil, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and wrap it closed.
- In a large bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the ranch seasoning mix. Pat the chicken dry, then add it to the bowl along with the potatoes and toss to coat everything evenly.
- Roast the Chicken and Potatoes: Carefully remove the preheated pan from the oven. Place the foil-wrapped garlic on the pan. Arrange the chicken, skin-side down, on the baking sheet and surround it with a single layer of the potatoes.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown on the bottom.
- Flip the chicken pieces and stir the potatoes. Return the pan to the oven and continue to bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F and the potatoes are tender.
- Serve: Carefully unwrap the roasted garlic. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the chicken and potatoes and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately, squeezing the soft, roasted garlic cloves out of their skins to spread on the chicken and potatoes.
Notes
- This is a true one-pan meal, which makes for very easy cleanup.
- Preheating the baking sheet is a key step that helps the chicken skin and potatoes get extra crispy.
- Using a store-bought ranch seasoning packet is a convenient shortcut that provides a great deal of flavor.
- Roasting a whole head of garlic alongside the meal creates a sweet, mellow, and delicious condiment to serve with the dish.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Make-Ahead: For a super-fast and impressive weeknight meal, you can get a head start by preparing all your components in advance. The garlic can be wrapped in foil, the potatoes can be cut, and the chicken and potatoes can be tossed in the seasoning and stored in the refrigerator up to a day in advance.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: The absolute best way to reheat the chicken and potatoes and bring back some of their original crispiness is in an air fryer at 375°F (190°C) for just 5-7 minutes. You can also place them on a baking sheet in a hot 400°F (200°C) oven for about 10-12 minutes.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute, number one secret to perfectly crispy, golden-brown skin on my roasted chicken?
The secret is the brilliant “skin-side down, then flip” technique. By starting the chicken skin-side down on the hot pan, you are allowing all the fat from under the skin to render out slowly. Then, when you flip the chicken to be skin-side up for the final roast, the now-rendered skin has direct exposure to the hot air, which is the key that makes it incredibly crisp and shatteringly golden brown.
Q2: Can I make this a complete one-pan meal with a green vegetable?
Yes, absolutely! For a true, all-in-one dinner, you can add about 1 to 2 cups of a quick-cooking green vegetable, like some trimmed green beans or some broccoli florets, to the sheet pan during the last 10 to 15 minutes of the roasting time.
Q3: Can I make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken?
You can, but the final dish will be a bit less rich and flavorful, and you will need to adjust the cooking time significantly. If you use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, be sure to pound them to an even thickness and reduce the total cooking time to about 20-25 minutes to prevent them from drying out
Q4: Can I use a different kind of potato?
Of course! This recipe is also fantastic with some cubed red potatoes or even some sweet potatoes. Just be sure to cut them into uniform, 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces so they cook evenly.
Q5: What is the best way to serve the roasted garlic?
The roasted garlic will be incredibly soft, sweet, and mellow. The best way to enjoy it is to simply squeeze the soft, buttery cloves out of their papery skins directly onto your plate and to either spread them on your chicken and potatoes like butter or to mash them into the pan juices.