Rosemary-Paprika Chicken and Fries
This sheet-pan chicken dinner was inspired by patatas bravas, the crispy potatoes typically served with a spicy sauce and aioli in tapas bars all across Spain. Here, there are potatoes, of course, but they’re cut into matchsticks and browned on a sheet pan; and there’s a garlic mayonnaise for dipping. (Make real-deal aioli if you have a few minutes to spare.) But instead of the traditional smoky, brick-red sauce, similar seasonings are smeared onto chicken before roasting: a mix of lemon, garlic, rosemary, smoked paprika and red-pepper flakes. Using bone-in parts keeps the white meat juicy, while the skin gets crisp and some of the schmaltz glosses the fries.
- Total:
- Serves: 2 persons
Ingredients
- ½cup mayonnaise
- 1tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
- 3garlic cloves, grated
- Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 1tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary)
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 2large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (1½ to 2 pounds total), patted dry
- 1large russet potato (about 1 pound), scrubbed
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 1tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees, and place a sheet pan on the oven’s lowest rack to heat. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, lemon zest and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.Step 2
Transfer half of the mayonnaise mixture (about ¼ cup) to a medium bowl. Stir in the smoked paprika, rosemary, red-pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Season the chicken all over with 1½ teaspoons salt. Add the chicken to the bowl of paprika-mayonnaise, and rub it all over the chicken. Set aside.Step 3
Halve the potato crosswise (no need to peel), then cut it into ¼-inch-thick fries. Right on the cutting board, drizzle with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.Step 4
Place the chicken breasts skin side down on the heated sheet pan, then scatter the potatoes around the chicken in a single layer. Roast on the bottom rack for 15 minutes, then flip the chicken so the skin side is up. (No need to turn the potatoes.) Roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the fries are browned underneath and the chicken registers 155 degrees when an instant-read thermometer is inserted in the thickest part. (The temperature will rise as the meat rests.) Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes, then cut the chicken meat from the bones and slice. Stir the lemon juice into the remaining mayonnaise mixture. Eat the chicken with the fries and a puddle of the lemon-garlic mayo for dipping.