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How I love easy, one skillet bbq chicken and potatoes for a make ahead dinner. Roasted potatoes, tender caramelized onions with the chicken, it’s fantastic!
BBQ chicken doesn’t have to be made on the grill at all. In fact, I’m all about making it in a skillet and then braising the whole thing in the oven. You only dirty one pot and get an entire meal, side included in it. Well, no I guess you still need a veggie. Darnit. Well, it’s still a win, just throw some green beans in a pan with a little salt water and you’re all done.
This recipe is going to have you pan roast and braise, which are two of my favorite things ever.
How Do You Pan Roast Potatoes?
You can actually pan roast just about anything but something magical happens when you pan roast potatoes.
They get all golden and caramelized or crispy on the outside, but the inside remains tender and wonderful.
The Best Pans for Cooking
Make sure you’re using the correct pan, not expensive, but one that will allow caramelization to happen.
Those little browned bits are treasures in a recipe and absolutely enhance the flavor.
Try using a Lodge Cast Iron pan or Stainless Steel pan.
Again, you don’t need the most expensive, but a nonstick pan wont allow a proper roast to happen.
A little fat like, oil, butter or olive oil is used to not only keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan, but also that fat is going to grab on to the potatoes and crisp them up and develop the flavor.
What Temperature Do I Cook Potatoes On?
Medium to medium high heat creates a first sear on the meat or vegetables and not only does food look better with color but like I’ve said a hundred times, caramelization is what really gives us that mouth watering flavor.
However, continued high heat will burn the food so turn it down to medium heat or even medium low if your burners are extra aggressive.
Keep the ingredient in the pan without moving it for the first couple of minutes and then occasionally turn them so each side has a chance to brown.
In the case of meat, only flip once as each time you turn it you’re working some of those juices out of it.
How to Braise Chicken
Because this specific recipe is thighs we of course must mention how to braise chicken thighs. Braising is AWESOME. It sounds technical, but it’s going to be your new favorite thing. In fact, in Our Sweet Basil Kitchen Cookbook we have a Braised Dijon Chicken and Potatoes recipe ( you can get a sneak peek over on Cooking for Keeps) that is totally drool worthy.
Oh my goodness, or Cade’s Poblano Braised Beef Tacos. IT’S SO GOOD!!
Ok, focus Carrian. What is braising? How to braise chicken in the oven? I’ve got you covered. It’s super easy and your mom probably did it with her slow cooker Sunday roast without you even realizing what it was.
Braising is just frying your food in a pan for a bit in order, just like the potatoes, to caramelize and really deepen the flavor and then covering it up and popping the whole thing in the oven where it cooks until it’s so blasted tender it flat out falls apart. The lid keeps all of that goodness buzzing around in the pan, soaking in all of the flavor of every ingredient.
The best part about braising truly is that you don’t have to do anything. It’s just going to be in the oven and that liquid, mixing with the ingredients and those little browned bits from the frying process will enrich the whole dish.
So that’s it! And you know what, you can change this up to include carrots or russet potatoes, make a spicier sauce or even a mustard sauce if you’d prefer. Make sure you use Cade’s Smoky BBQ Rub It’s so good, looks beautiful and who doesn’t love a little Homemade BBQ Sauce on chicken every now and again?
Tip: You can make this chicken skillet with either our Classic BBQ Sauce or our Mustard-Based BBQ Sauce.
One Skillet BBQ Chicken and Potatoes
One Skillet BBQ Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3-4 Bone-In Chicken Thighs
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons [Smoky BBQ Rub]
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 10 Small Red Potatoes, or 5 bigger, halved
- 1/2 Yellow Onion, sliced
- 1/2-3/4 Cup [Homemade BBQ Sauce], plus more for dipping
Homemade BBQ Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 5-10 minutes prior to cooking.3-4 Bone-In Chicken Thighs
- Rub the chicken all over with the bbq rub.1 1/2 Tablespoons [Smoky BBQ Rub]
- In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, vinegar, garlic, and brown sugar.1 Cup Chicken Broth, 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Clove Garlic, 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
- Set aside.
- In a skillet, over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken, skin side down.2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Turn the heat down to medium low and cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over and cook an additional 3-4 minutes and remove to a plate.
- Turn the heat back up to medium.
- Add the remaining olive oil, butter and brown sugar and quickly add the potatoes and onions, placing the potatoes flesh side down.2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 1 Tablespoon Butter, 10 Small Red Potatoes, 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar, 1/2 Yellow Onion
- Cook, stirring occasionally for about 6-7 minutes or until the potatoes begin to turn golden and onions are tender.
- Nestle the chicken, skin side up, back in the pan and pour in the liquid.
- Cover the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and pour the bbq sauce over the top.1/2-3/4 Cup [Homemade BBQ Sauce]
- Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes and serve with additional bbq if desired.
- Garnish with cilantro1 Tablespoon Cilantro for garnish
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Homemade BBQ Sauce
The best, thick bbq sauce recipe ever! If you’ve never had homemade bbq sauce you’re completely missing out and it stores so well in the fridge!
Smoky BBQ Rub
Perfect for beef, chicken and especially pork, this smoky bbq rub is what makes grilling so amazingly delicious. Just dig in!
This recipe is amazing. It is a family favorite. The BBQ rub is so versatile.
Thank you! We sure love it too!!
Made this for dinner and OMG I think I have just found a new recipe for my collection . Turned out great
I love when it becomes a staple in someone’s home. Thanks! -Cade
Can I double this recipe by adding chicken drumsticks and keep the cook time the same? Thanks:)
If your pan is big enough, but the more crowded it gets the longer it will take to cook.
This looks delicious, but I’m not a fan of dark meat chicken. Can I used bone-in chicken breast? If so, how would I adjust the cooking time?
Hi Gail, you certainly can and you’ll want about 15 extra minutes.
This sounds so good, but wondering how this would work with a 2.5lb whole chicken that was split?
You could definitely do that. Are you thinking of cutting down the chicken more or leaving it a split chicken?
hey girl- this looks so good!
I love one skillet meals! And homemade BBQ sauce and rub. I’d love to see your recipes…are they linked somewhere? I tried clicking on the photo or the bold words but they don’t take me anywhere. This looks delicious!
Really?! Shoot, we can click the links and they go through. 🙁