‘Barefoot Contessa’: Ina Garten’s One-Pan Chicken and Potatoes Recipe Is the Easiest Weeknight Dinner
Barefoot Contessa star Ina Garten has built a food empire from what started as an impulse purchase of a specialty foods store. Over the years, she’s created easy recipes without any professional culinary training — and she believes that’s what has helped make her successful. Those looking for a simple weeknight dinner won’t want to miss Garten’s skillet-roasted chicken and potatoes.
‘Barefoot Contessa’ star Ina Garten never went to culinary school
When Ina Garten realized she wanted to start a career in food, she had no prior experience. The Food Network star put in an offer on a specialty foods store in East Hampton, New York, on a whim, and it was accepted. She and her husband, Jeffrey Garten, relocated to the Hamptons, where Garten slowly learned the ropes of managing the store.
Garten purchased the store in 1978, and by 1999, she had written her first cookbook. Since then, Garten has written a dozen cookbooks, and in 2003, her Food Network show premiered. Now, Garten is still living and filming in East Hampton, as well as writing cookbooks, though she sold her store nearly 20 years ago.
How to make Ina Garten’s skillet-roasted chicken and potatoes
Garten’s skillet-roasted chicken and potatoes is an easy, weeknight dish that only requires one pan.
What you’ll need:
4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups buttermilk, shaken
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dry white wine, such as Chablis
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 pound medium Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Directions:
Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to a large plastic bag with buttermilk, making sure chicken is fully coated, and marinate 4-12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350. Coat the bottom of a 12-inch cast-iron skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add chicken thighs to skillet, skin side up, allowing excess buttermilk to drip off beforehand. In a small bowl, add mustard and wine, and coat chicken with mixture. Top chicken with thyme, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast chicken in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from skillet, then add potatoes, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss potatoes in seasonings and leftover chicken juices. Spread potatoes into an even layer, then add chicken back to skillet (over top of potatoes), and roast another 30 minutes or until chicken is at least 155 degrees. Remove chicken from skillet once more, turn oven up to 425 degrees, then continue roasting potatoes an additional 15 minutes. Remove skillet from oven, add chicken back to skillet, and serve.
Other chicken recipes by Ina Garten
Roasted chicken has become one of Ina Garten’s signature recipes, and she’s done it in a variety of ways. Garten also has a similar skillet-roasted chicken recipe featuring lemon. Plus, Dijon is the star of Garten’s crispy mustard-roasted chicken. And when she’s not roasting chicken, Garten loves turning it into tasty chicken sandwiches — including a copycat Shake Shack version.
