Chicken Potato Bake is like a chicken potato casserole tossed in garlic and olive oil, baked to a golden brown, and topped with stretchy, melty cheese.
It's my go-to recipe for when I need inexpensive, no-fuss, quick dinner ideas! Your whole family will love the simple but timeless combination of baked chicken and potatoes.
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💚 Why You'll Love this Chicken and Potatoes Dinner
This might seem kind of crazy, but I often sit down to do my meal plan for the upcoming week, and I am stumped.
Well, I think it is a similar phenomenon as the one that causes Thing 1 and Thing 2 to meander into our fully stocked kitchen, look through the pantry and fridge, and declare that there is nothing to eat!
I have come to realize that I can never go wrong with baked recipes with potatoes and chicken for dinner. No one complains and everyone practically licks their plate (and the casserole dish too!).
Whenever I get that meal planning 'block', or whatever you want to call it, I pull up one or two of my go-to dishes and plop them in the meal planner. That jump-starts my brain so that I can finish the entire meal plan.
This Chicken Potato Bake is one of those go-to dishes. I have served it more times than I can remember, and every time it is a big hit in the family.
🥘 Ingredients Needed for Baked Chicken and Potatoes
I baked boneless chicken thighs in the oven along with the potatoes. If you don't have chicken thighs, you can substitute chicken breasts.
For the potatoes, choose between russet potatoes, red potatoes, or white potatoes. No need to peel! Just wash them and cut into ¾ inch cubes.
I keep the skin on because it adds texture and its also contains a lot of the nutrition.
Potatoes tossed in garlic and olive oil and baked to a golden brown right in the same dish with tender, juicy chicken thighs guarantees a successful meal every time. The melty mozzarella cheese on top then seals the deal!
Add a side salad or some steamed veggies like my easy roasted Brussels sprouts and dinner is complete!
The cheese in this recipe brings all the ingredients together and gives the casserole with chicken and potatoes that delicious crusty look. I found that using freshly shredded mozzarella works best.
However, if you don't have fresh mozzarella, using store-bought mozzarella will taste good too.
It only takes this chicken and potato casserole about 25 minutes to finish cooking. I serve it right after I remove it from the oven and I can still hear the sizzling!
When I remove it from the oven, it fills the whole house with a delicious baked chicken and potato aroma.
This aroma is so heavenly that I don't even have to call everyone to the dinner table. The aroma brings everyone running to the dinner table!
📖 Variations
- Add some dried rosemary or thyme to change up the flavor profile.
- Some red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne is a great way to spice it up!
- We like to add some paprika or even smoked paprika as well.
- Seasoned salt is another great way to amp up the flavor in this dish.
- Cook up some bacon, cut it into pieces, and then mix it in with the potatoes right before adding the chicken into the pan. YUM!
- To add some additional nutrition, mix in about 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms with the potatoes before baking them.
I find that dinner recipes with potatoes are just so versatile and perfect for busy weeknights. What are your favorite potato bake recipes?
🍗 More Chicken Recipes You'll Love
If you like baked recipes with chicken and potatoes, check out my other family favorites, like this Chicken Tray Bake with Potatoes!
Or if you prefer to use your pressure cooker, check out this Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes recipe, which is an easy and delicious dinner you can throw together at the last minute.
Here are some other tasty baked chicken recipes as well.
One of my family's favorites is this bright, lemony Breaded Lemon Pepper Chicken. So flavorful yet so delicious!
And it's oven-baked instead of fried so it's a lot healthier than fried chicken.
🔊 What readers are saying...
"Made this tonight and it was a big hit. Will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing the recipe!"
- Katynana
Love this recipe? Awesome! Please give it a 5 star ⭐ rating below! And if you make this, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram. You can find me at DizzyBusyandHungry or #dizzybusyandhungry!
📋 Recipe Card
Chicken Potato Bake
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes, cut into ¾ inch/2 cm cubes (russet, white, and red are all good choices, no need to peel)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I like to use thighs)
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- parsley (optional, freshly chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F/220 degrees C.
- Place the potato cubes in a large bowl, add the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat.4 medium potatoes, cut into ¾ inch/2 cm cubes, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1.5 tablespoons olive oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- Spray a large (9x13) baking dish with non stick spray. Spread potato mixture in dish and bake about 15 minutes.
- Remove baking dish from oven and place the chicken pieces in the dish, nestling them down into the potato mixture a bit. If desired, brush the top of each chicken piece with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked and potatoes are browned.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top, return to the oven and bake for a few more minutes to melt the cheese.¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- When serving, sprinkle chopped parsley on top (if desired).parsley
Notes
- You can definitely cut back on the olive oil if you are trying to minimize oil. I have used as little as ½ tablespoon and no one complained.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the chicken for doneness. The thermometer should read 165 degrees F.
- Change up this recipe with different herbs or spices. Some ideas: dried rosemary, thyme, paprika, smoked paprika, etc. Or use seasoned salt in place of the salt.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
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Happy cooking!
Ruth
Is the 1 tablespoon of minced garlic the dry kind, or are you chopping up an actual garlic clove to get the 1 tablespoon? 1 tablespoon of the dry kind seemed like a lot, so I just did 2 teaspoons. I am making it now and sure would like to know, but didn't find the answer in any of the comments. Thanks for your help. Can't wait to try this tonight.
Kristin King
I minced up actual garlic. Sometimes I use the minced garlic that comes in a jar. I think you were smart to only use 2 tsp of the powdered! 1 tablespoon of that would probably be way too much! I hope you enjoy it!
Ruth
It wasn't powdered garlic I was using, it was dry minced garlic. The container says that 1/4 tsp equals 1 clove of garlic, so with me using 2 teaspoons, that would equal 8 cloves of garlic. I got nervous about it being too garlicky, so I rinsed the potatoes in a strainer to get some of the garlic off. Then I added more oil, salt and pepper again because that probably got rinsed off as well. In the end, I think the dish could have used a little more garlic, but too little is better than way too much that I had before rinsing. Next time I will know better how to make the dish. It still turned out really good and my daughter and son in law like it a lot. Nice and simple, which I like, plus it's fast to make.
Kristin King
Oh, dry minced garlic...I understand now. I have not used that before. Glad it turned out anyway, sounds like next time it will be even better! 🙂
Liz
This was so good! We made it tonight.
Kristin King
Hooray! Glad you liked it. We actually had it on 2/8 as well, isn't that funny? Thanks for stopping by, Liz! 🙂
Lena | Lena Talks Beauty
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I added some onion and also a chicken seasoning with paprika and a few other things - so tasty and easy.
Kristin King
So glad you liked it, Lena! Those additions sound great. I often change this up a little when I make it as well, it is a really versatile recipe. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Judy
I made this for dinner last night and I must say this was one of the most delicious and easy meals I have ever made. Halfway through our meal, my boyfriend said how he already could not wait for lunch tomorrow, so he could eat this again! I used boneless/skinless thighs, which I lightly seasoned with a mesquite bbq rub, russet potatoes and served with corn. Delish!!!!
Kristin King
HI Judy, I am so glad you and your boyfriend liked it! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Lisa Cooper
I tried this today and it was good. I used chicken breast instead of thighs.The chicken was still a little frozen but it turned out well. My husband didn't like all the liquid the potatoes were sitting in.
Kristin King
I have made this many times and I have never had liquid in the bottom of the dish before. I am not sure why that was there. But I am glad you enjoyed it anyway! 🙂
celina
if I had to guess I would say the liquid is because the chicken was frozen.
I remember buying chicken breast once and when it thawed it seemed watery.
Trying this tonight... may add a bit of cooked bacon... mmmm
Kristin King
The bacon is a great idea. Yum! Enjoy!!
Ellen Fisher
What herbs did you sprinkle on top in the picture? I would like to add some herbs and am wondering what would be good ones to try.
Kristin King
That is chopped parsley. I like it not only for the flavor but also because it adds a little color to the dish! 🙂
Jennifer Lynn
I feel like I should have had to scroll this far to find this answer (you should edit and put this in the recipe)
Kristin King
You are right! I will do that, thanks for the suggestion!
Jennifer Lynn
Also we just made this tonight for dinner! My fiancé has a fear of baking raw meat on any vegetables and HE LOVED THIS!
We paired this with Baked Zucchini with Parmesan, caprese salad and sliced cantaloupe and watermelon!
Thanks for such a yummy recipe, this is a win!
Kristin King
Hooray! So glad you guys liked it! And thanks so much for coming back to let me know, you really made my day! 🙂
Melissa
Can you use boneless skinless breasts instead of thighs? Would you increase the baking time of the potatoes on their own and less time of chicken and potatoes together? Thanks for an easy recipe, looks tasty, can't wait to try it.
Kristin King
Yes, you can absolutely use chicken breasts! Breasts can dry out more easily so I would definitely watch the cooking time on them and check them sooner rather than later. I hope you enjoy it, thanks for stopping by!
Sarah
Do you put the chicken on top when it's raw, or do you cook it in the pan first?
Kristin King
You don't need to cook it first, it cooks while on top of the potatoes. The potatoes actually take a little longer to cook, which is why you bake them for about 15 minutes before adding the chicken. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it!
Sylvie
I used chicken breast and I cut them in cubes
Kristin King
I bet that worked out great! Thanks, Sylvie! 🙂
Kristen
Are the potatoes supposed to soften up? Because I’ve had it in the oven with the chicken for over 20 minutes. And they are still hard.
Kristin
Yes, they should soften with cooking. Did you cook the potatoes by themselves first? (See step 4 on the recipe card.) The potatoes need a little longer than the chicken, so that may be the issue. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Karen
I can't find the actual recipe for this!!! Can you help?
Kristin
The recipe is included in this post. I checked and it is appearing for me on both mobile and desktop. Are you not able to see it? If not, I can email it to you, just let me know.
Thanks!
Lori
We cannot see the recipe card.
Kristin
Can you please let me know what browser you are using? I will try to track down the issue. Also, if you like I can email the recipe to you. Please email me at kristin(at)dizzybusyandhungry(dot)com and I will be happy to send you the recipe. Thanks!
Joan
Substituting boneless chicken breasts and using cheddar (all we have). Can't wait to try it tonight.
Kristin King
That actually sounds like it would be pretty good, Joan! I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!
Cindy
I made this tonight using rotisserie chicken. It was good but a little dry for me. Next time I will add a touch of chicken soup.. However my husband just got his second helping! Wasn’t to bad then!
Kristin
Great shortcut idea to use the rotisserie chicken! I imagine the reason it was dry is that you started with already cooked chicken and cooked it more. If you start with raw chicken, the juices from the cooking prevent dryness. So your thought to add chicken soup with your variation is a good one - it will make up for those missing juices! And I'm glad your husband enjoyed it too. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Amber @ The Bewitched Baker
This looks delicious. Nothing beats roasted potatoes OR one dish dinners! Yum! Thanks for sharing!