Chicken and Potatoes With Brown Butter Sauce

A tasty, classic, and easy brown butter chicken dinner is just what you need tonight.

Roasted chicken and fingerling potatoes with brown butter sauce served on a plate.
Photo: Caitlin Bensel
Hands On Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
55 mins
Servings:
4

Newfangled vegetable bowls and cabbage wraps are great, but sometimes you need a simple brown butter chicken dinner. If that's the case, then this is the recipe for you. For extra tender and juicy meat, you'll first sear the chicken skin before baking the thighs with the potatoes. While those roast, you'll make a classic French brown butter sauce with chopped parsley, salty capers, and lemon juice to balance the acidity. Spooned over the crispy chicken thighs and tender potatoes, the sauce adds a touch of luxury to every bite.

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ pounds fingerling potatoes

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (1½ pounds total)

  • ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, divided

  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

  • ¼ cup drained nonpareil capers

  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons), plus wedges for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Toss together potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl.

  2. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium. Add chicken, skin side down; cook until skin is golden brown, about 7 minutes. Flip chicken and add potatoes to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 170°F, about 25 minutes.

  3. Meanwhile, cook 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is golden brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in parsley, capers, lemon juice, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon butter.

  4. Transfer chicken to a plate; return skillet to oven. Roast potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Serve chicken and potatoes drizzled with brown butter sauce alongside lemon wedges.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

676 Calories
47g Fat
32g Carbs
32g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 4
Calories 676
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 47g 60%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Cholesterol 197mg 66%
Sodium 1194mg 52%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 5g 18%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 32g

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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