Here’s a fabulous chicken and potato dish that comes together quickly and is all baked in one pan! It’s a Portuguese flavoured chicken that’s roasted on a bed of garlicky lemon potatoes that soaks up all the glorious chicken drippings. Fast prep. Big flavours!
One-pan Portuguese Chicken and Potato Bake
Last year I shared a Nando’s Portuguese Chicken and Rice recipe that was such an unexpected hit, it was only a matter of time I did a potato version. And here it is – only took me a year!
The chicken is slathered in a Portuguese Peri Peri spice rub that only calls for pantry staples, then it’s roasted on a bed of sliced potatoes tossed in a good amount of garlic and lemon. The chicken bakes up beautifully golden and the potatoes soak up the chicken juices and end up tasting like Greek Lemon Potatoes!
I really hate to play favourites with food…..but I really think this might trump the chicken and rice version…..
Ingredients in Portuguese Chicken and Potato Bake
Here’s what you need to make this chicken and potato bake.
1. The CHICKEN, potato AND VEGETABLES
Chicken cut – The chicken I’ve used is bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. The skin helps the spice paste caramelises beautifully in the oven, and chicken releases a good amount of juices that gets absorbed by the potatoes and makes the tasty sauce too.
Other suitable cuts – Drumsticks and Marylands (chicken leg quarters) are also ideal, quantities and adjusted bake times are in the recipe card. Boneless cuts – Breast and boneless thighs also work, but need less oven time and a quick blast under the grill/broiler to brown. Directions for these are in the recipe card too!
Potatoes – Use a waxy variety if you can, the washed potatoes sold in Australia are typically all-rounders that lean towards waxy, or red potatoes or baby potatoes (new potatoes). That supermarkets don’t usually specify the variety does my head in! But white washed = waxy and dirty = starchy is a good general rule of thumb.
Yukon Gold are ideal if you’re in the States. Waxy potatoes hold their shape better so they won’t break as easily when you scoop them up. But actually this recipe will work just fine with starchy potatoes too, the potatoes will just be a little more delicate.
Don’t use sweet potatoes though, they will turn into mush!
Red onion and capsicum – Bringing some vegetables into the dish, along with flavour. I especially love what capsicum brings into this dish! If you want to dial up the vegetables, you can reduce the amount of potato and add carrots instead.
2. THE FLAVOURS
The Portuguese Chicken is flavoured with a spice blend rather than the pureed type of Peri Peri marinade (like in this one). Quicker and pantry friendly, it’s a shameless copycat of the Nando’s Peri Peri dry rub and also the Portuguese seasoning from Herbie’s. 🙂. 🙂
Simple Portuguese seasoning for chicken (Nando’s copycat) – Pantry staples!
Herbs and spices – Paprika, garlic powder (substitute fresh garlic), dried oregano, coriander, brown sugar and cayenne pepper for touch of warmth (feel free to omit). The brown sugar is a bit of a secret ingredient here, makes the chicken caramelise beautifully!
Wet ingredients (to make a paste so it coats the chicken) – olive oil and lemon juice (substitute with white or red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar). I add the lemon juice to cut down on the oil, and also a bit of tang balances the flavours.
Lemon juice, dried oregano and garlic (lots!) – For flavouring the potato bake with a tasty garlicky lemony flavour. Greek Lemon Potato vibes! Plus, it gives the potatoes their own flavour rather than everything in the pan tasting the same.
Olive oil – I like to use extra virgin olive oil here, as it adds flavour. But it’s ok if you just use regular olive oil.
How to make One-pan Portuguese Chicken and Potato Bake
This recipe has a nice flow to it – chop the veg, pile into the pan, toss with seasonings. Then give it a head start in the oven while you prepare the Portuguese spice mix and coat the chicken. Once the chicken is in, there’s nothing to do except put out plates for dinner!
Potato bake first – Slice up the potatoes, capsicum and onion, and put them straight into a roasting pan. Squeeze over lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil, mince the garlic straight on using a garlic press, sprinkle with dried oregano, salt and pepper. Give it all a good toss with your hands.
25 minute head start – Then pop it in the oven to give it a head start. Because we’ve got a fair volume of potatoes here, they take longer to cook than the chicken.
Portuguese spice blend – Mix the Portuguese spice blend, olive oil and lemon juice in a large(ish) bowl. Then add the chicken and use tongs to turn and swipe, to coat all sides of the chicken with the bright red paste.
Top with chicken – Pop the chicken on top of the potatoes. I like to tuck the flappy skin under so the thighs are bundled up into a neat shape. This helps them cook more evenly, holds the juices in a bit more, plus it leaves more potato surface exposed so they can get a bit of colour on them.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the surface is beautifully caramelised, or if you have extra large or extra small ones, you might want to check the internal temperature – 76°C/161.6°F is what it should be (it will climb higher as it rests).
Note on baking time – I know 25 minutes plus 40 minutes sounds like an unusually long time for the potatoes to cook, but because of various factors (using quite a bit of potato, waxy potatoes take longer to cook than starchy ones and chicken is added partway through cooking), they really do take this long.
Dinner, ready! Pull the pan out of the oven, and serve! Chicken, potatoes and vegetables for everyone, with plenty of the tasty lemon sauce to spoon into bowls and mop up with bread!
Serve this with some regular bread or pita bread to dunk into the sauce, or just slurp it up like soup (it will surprise no one I did the latter).
And as I briefly mentioned in the ingredients section, if you’d like to add extra vegetables into this (ie. the non starchy kind) rather than making a separate side salad, you can swap out some of the potato with carrot. Otherwise, scatter over a punnet of cherry tomatoes for the last 15 minutes of baking, or when it comes out of the oven litter it with a handful of rocket lettuce (that’s arugula, for those of you in the States!). Double duty – garnish and salad in one! 🙂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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One-Pan Portuguese Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 chicken thighs , bone-in, skin-on – about 1.2kg/2.4lb total weight (Note 1)
Portuguese Seasoning:
- 3 1/2 tsp paprika , sweet/regular or smoked
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper , optional (for faint spiciness)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar (tightly packed)
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +50% for flakes)
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice , or white or red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Potato Vegetable Bake:
- 700g / 1.4lb medium waxy potatoes ("washed potatoes", red potatoes, US: Yukon) , skin-on, cut into 5 mm / 0.2" slices (Note 2)
- 1 large red onion , cut into wedges
- 1 large red capsicum / bell pepper , deseeded, cut into large 3.5cm / 1.5″ squares
- 6 garlic cloves , crushed using a garlic press
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +50% for flakes)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Toss Potato Vegetable Bake ingredients in a roasting pan. Bake 25 minutes at 200°C/390°F (180°C). Coat chicken in seasoning, place on potatoes. Bake 40 min. Serve!
FULL RECIPE:
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan-forced).
- Vegetable bake head start– Put all the Potato Vegetable Bake ingredients in a large pan. Toss well to coat, separating the potato slices. Bake for 25 minutes while you prepare the chicken.
- Portuguese Chicken – Mix the Portuguese Seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
- Bake 2 – Place the chicken on top of the potatoes, tucking the excess skin under to form bundles. Bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.
- Serve the chicken and vegetables with the tasty lemony garlic broth. Bread for mopping is encouraged!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Jaffle
Scenes from a Jaffle weekend. Still small enough to forcibly cuddle (just):
Mother and son (Yes, at 5 months old, son has outgrown mother):
Contemplated swimming:
Ready to work:
Not ready to leave:
Found a restaurant that recognises his importance:
Sat for a portrait that made him look like he’s never dug a hole in his life:
And took a moment to remember the legend that came before him. Here he is, on this day, 12 months ago:
I still miss you Dozer, every single day. The chaos that is Jaffle will never heal the hole in my heart that you left, but he’s brought smiles back into my life. I will love you forever – your mum. xx
Man, this was good! I stupidly bought skinned and boned thighs but just cooked the spuds for a bit longer and the chicken for a bit less and it was moist and delicious. Definitely to be repeated!!
I am in the process of making this dish, but I have a quick question. I looked though the recipe and through all the comments about the size of the roasting pan. Mine looks so big, (16″ x 12.5″). I was concerned that all that the tasty lemony garlic broth will dry up in the oven. What size is your pan? Thank you.
We loved this. Our kids are a bit weird and don’t like potatoes but they each ate a couple. The chicken was a hit with all (inc the 8 month old – spice-less bits only).
At what temperature do I cook at for portugease chicken
I made this tonight and it was an instant hit with my family! They hadn’t even finished eating before they requested that it be added into regular rotation. Thanks for another great recipe, Nagi!
Love your recipes easily explained and easily to follow. I followed you for quite awhile now keep up the good work and thank you.
When this landed in my inbox, I knew it was an absolute must!
There wasn’t the same juicy sauce – I’m wondering if sunflower oil wasnt rich enough, as I didn’t have olive oil.
That said, it was still an absolute 10/10.
Like a previous commentator, my hubby wasn’t surprised that this was a Nagi recipe 🫶
Just great food, Nagi. Thanks – it will be a regular. As for our beautiful Jaffle, well, what’s to say…. Dozer would love that you have each other. He would approve and will guide Jaffle throughout.
I made this tonight – I tripled the recipe, and used drumsticks instead – it was delicious!!! Great recipe as always Nagi 🫶
Incredibly easy yet so tasty recipe! I have two fussy (young adult) eaters but both loved it, tonight dinner was a big success, thank you Nagi for sharing all those beautiful recipes.
I can totally relate to your story with Jaffle and Dozer. Please keep smiling for them..!!
I just made this for my family of five and it was a hit! So easy to put together on a school night, and just the most incredible flavours. We paired it with sourdough bread as suggested, and everyone’s plates were scraped clean
I miss Mr. Dozer too, I’m like can feel your feeling, and I’m very happy that at least little Jaffle brings your smiles back so do I💓🤗
And I can’t wait to try this recipe, thank you Nagi, I wish for your happiness always . .
Thank you Nind, that’s so lovely of you to say. I miss Dozer every single day, but little Jaffle certainly brings a lot of joy (and chaos!) back into my life. ❤️ Hope you love this recipe! – N x
this looks so delicious. There are only the two of us so I am wondering if it would convert to cook in an airfryer. Don’t worry if you haven’t got any timings etc. for airfryer, I’ll just give it a go and report back!
I haven’t tried this one in the air fryer Lynne, so I’d hate to guess at timings! But I love that you’re willing to be the test pilot 😂 Please report back if you try it! – N x
We loved this. Very little effort for big flavour. Thanks Nagi, you and Jaffle are superstars. We will always remember your beloved Dozer with great fondness. Your constant companion since the beginning of your Recipetineats adventure.
Good evening Nagi, saw your recipe this arvo. Definitely a very tasty and easy meal to make. I just added a few more minutes to cook the potatoes, then added the chicken. Used garlic bread for mopping up the Sauce 🤣🤣
You made it already!! 😂 So glad you enjoyed it Sheree – and garlic bread for mopping up that sauce is an EXCELLENT move. – N x
Dear Heiderose, I LOVED your story as truer words were never spoken as I too have had puppy’s leave me through my years and their unconditional never missed a day.
I’ve been a follower of Nagi’s for quite a while now though I can’t keep up with ALL the beautiful recipes she posts, but have made and enjoyed so many. I hope you do as well, so good luck with your cooking/baking.
I’ll add that I’m a Sydneyite who lives not that far from Nagi and we love her dearly with Jaffles as we did Dowser.
This is such a lovely message to Heiderose, Josephine. Thank you for being here for so long and for cooking so many of my recipes! And for loving my boys along the way too. ❤️ – N x
Nagi your most welcome, but I THANK YOU for all the wonderful recipes of yours that I’ve made over the years.
Also, who couldn’t love your boys Dowser and Jaffle, they’e such gorgeous guys.
My main dog was “Nikki”, a Sheltie (Shetland Sheep Dog), ever since his parting when I was 24 (now 82) I’ve never had the heart to get another as I couldn’t compare another dog to my Nikki, he was my “soulmate” when growing up from an early teen. We do get to love our pets deeply don’t we.
LUV YA!
We have Prince of Orange potatoes in WA and they are red skinned, waxy and just the best forcthis sort of recipe
Oh I haven’t come across Prince of Orange potatoes! They sound PERFECT for this – thanks for the tip! – N x
Really nice recipe that was very well received by everyone who ate it! Will definitely be making again!
That’s what I love to hear Ann! So glad it was a hit with everyone and has earned a spot on the repeat list 🙂 – N x
JAFFLES HOT 🤣🤣🤣
(Haven’t tried the recipe yet. I’m sure it’ll be a winner 😋)
😂😂😂😂 His head is growing big!
Made the potatoes tonight. Didn’t have chicken out. So made exactly as per your recipe and then used the rub on cod that I cooked separate in the air fryer. Husband and I really liked the potatoes! So, so good. Cod was okay, would probably like it on chicken better. Next time. But will definitely make the potatoes again.
I’m so glad you loved the potatoes Julie! I could happily eat a whole pan of those on their own 😂 Definitely give the chicken version a go next time! – N x
Especially in North America, the best potatoes for this recipe are russet potatoes.
Yes! Russets will work nicely here Roy – thanks for adding that for North American readers! – N x