By Ali Slagle
Updated Jan. 25, 2024
- Total Time
- About 4 hours, plus overnight brine
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 4 hours, plus overnight brine
- Rating
- 4(155)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Roasting two chickens on one sheet pan with a heap of potatoes low-and-slow has perks both in flavor and practicality — plus, you’ll welcome guests to an amazing-smelling house. The rotisserie-like chicken will be so tender, carving is a cinch. It will be juicy from lemons stuffed in the cavity, a trick from Marcella Hazan. The brittle skin will be fiery from smoked paprika, cayenne and black pepper. And as a bonus, the lemon and chicken juices mingle to create a devilishly spiced, tangy sauce for the chicken and buttery potatoes. All it needs is a Caesar salad.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 1½tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1teaspoon ground cayenne
- Salt
- 2lemons
- 2(3½- to 4-pound) whole chickens, patted dry
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3pounds baby creamer potatoes
- ¼cup sliced chives or scallions
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
825 calories; 51 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 23 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 58 grams protein; 1458 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
The day before cooking, dry-brine the chicken: In a small bowl, stir together the paprika, black pepper, cayenne and 1½ tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or a heaping 2 teaspoons fine sea salt). Using a fork or toothpick, puncture the lemons all over. Place the chickens on a sheet pan, then place the lemons in the chicken cavities. Pinch the skin from the sides of the cavities together, then use toothpicks to pin shut. Rub the paprika mixture all over the outside of the birds. Refrigerate uncovered for 12 to 24 hours. If your refrigerator can’t fit a sheet pan, put the chickens on plates. If you’re tight on time, you can leave the chickens out at room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding.
Step
2
Heat the oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes around the chickens; it’s OK if the potatoes are piled up. Drizzle the chickens with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Step
3
Roast for 2½ to 3 hours, until a leg easily wiggles out of its socket and the potatoes are tender. Tilt the chickens to pour juices into the pan, then transfer to a cutting board to rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl or platter, then pour the pan juices into a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Pour or spoon off the fat that rises to the top of the juices. Carve the chicken. To serve, stir the chives into the pan juices, then serve the chicken and potatoes with spoonfuls of the sauce over everything.
Ratings
4
out of 5
155
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Cooking Notes
Alicia
Really easy & delicious. My chickens were ready after 2.5 hours but the potatoes weren’t quite done. So, I took the chickens out & turned the oven up to 425 to roast the potatoes 10 more minutes. I also put some fresh arugula with feta right onto the hot sheet pan when the potatoes finished; I put the carved pieces of chicken over the arugula; then poured the pan juices over all of it. I also squeezed the lemons into the pan juices before carving the chicken.
NH Mama
I roast a spatchco*cked chicken over potatoes on a sheet pan frequently. There is no leakage and the juices are absorbed by the potatoes. My sheet pan has lower sides than the one in the photo - and I've never even been close to having a problem. Go for it.
Jean
If you have kids that aren’t ready for the heat of cayenne, omit it and substitute Szeged Hungarian Sweet Paprika- it’s got a rich flavor, not sweet just flavorful.
Bob
I believe the photo is showing a sheet pan. Its a type of sheet pan called a "Jelly Roll" sheet pan. But really any sheet pan will work so long as it has an edge. I doubt you would get enough liquid to build up to overflow. I do at least two sheet pan dinners like this a week for the family and have not had overflows.
excheffy
Pic looks like an aluminum sheet-pan to me...
imagine61
Directions say to use a sheet pan, but isn't a sheet pan in the photo, it's a (shallow) baking dish. I'm concerned about using an actual sheet pan yo cook this - wouldn't the juices overflow?
C
A sheet pan usually has some short sides - an inch or so? - that should keep everything in. You may be thinking of a cookie sheet that does not have sides at all. Hopefully someone who tries the recipe can confirm for you that it works.
this felt like an adulting milestone
I successfully cooked my first full bird, and it tasted amazing! I feel so domestic! This is going into the regular recipe rotation. Lemon up the bird bum was key to success, IMHO, the rub could be flexed, but not the lemon.
Sue
How long should I bake this dish if I substituted two Cornish Hens in place of two full size chickens?
Sue
If I substitute the chickens with two Cornish Hens, how long should I cook this dish?
John M.
LOVED! LOVED! LOVED! this recipe. I put the full amount of seasoning on 1 chicken (5.5 lb.) instead of dividing it in half. I also cooked it (in a skillet) to the point that I thought it would be overdone and dry. Super moist, well-seasoned, and just yum! I added a bit of cornstarch to the pan juices to thicken and coat the potatoes. I think I'm going to figure out how to use the leftovers to make a small batch of stew. Don't ask, just go with it and enjoy!
Amber
I halved the recipe and just used a smaller pan. I served the chicken on a bed of arugula as another reviewer recommended, which wilted nicely with the sauce (to which I squeezed a little lemon). I made a dipping sauce for the potatoes: mayo, sriracha, smoked paprika, a little lemon juice and salt.
Anne B
I made this with one chicken and half the potatoes. I thought it was quite good, considering how easy it is. However, if I did it with two chickens, I would use something with a higher rim than a sheet pan. Even with one chicken, it was a bit precarious.
Sonja
Made this but with just one chicken, added the arugula and feta as mentioned by another reviewer, was a huge hit with the fam. Such a nice combination of flavors. Will be making it again.
John M.
I made this with one 5,5-pound bird instead of two smaller ones. I used roughly the same spice ratio. Chicken was well done at 2 1/2 hours. I added some cornstarch to the pan juices to thicken them up. Yum!!! I'm serving it with peas and carrots, because it's December 30 and I don't feel like a Ceasar salad!!! Other than a little advanced planning and some messy fingers from seasoning the bird, this is BEYOND SIMPLE. Everything in a non-stick pan in the oven, that's it!
lauren
Do you use a whole lemon, or do you need to cut them some how?
liz
What is a creamer potato? Not familiar with that term here, out west.
Matt
If you're worried about the juices running over, Nordic Ware makes a half-sheet pan with 2" sides. It's great for roasting dishes like this. And if you line it with parchment paper, cleanup is a breeze.
cg
I’ve shied away from brining because of the sodium levels that remain per serving (just over 1400 according to the NYT cooking app, near the daily limit for low sodium diets). How little salt can I get away with when brining and still enhance flavor and retain liquids?
Lisa
About how long to roast if doing one chicken and half the potatoes?
Lynne
I'd roast the same amount of time -- you're using the oven, not the microwave. (Maybe 5 minutes less?)
Cathy
Made just one chicken and it was so juicy, tender, flavorful BUT the skin wasn't CRISPY. The sauce and potatoes were divine! I used Convect Roast and it was in a large casserole dish instead of sheet pan. Could that make the difference in crispiness?
mary D
I made this and it was perfect. Easy to prepare, super moist, and no—nothing spilled over the sides of my sheet pan.
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