CrustyCrab
Recipes

AmericanBone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

Warm-Spiced Bone-In Chicken with Scalloped Potatoes

Large bone-in chicken breasts rubbed with paprika, cumin and coriander and seared crisp, alongside Yukon gold scalloped potatoes baked in a smoked paprika cream.

Calories
500kcal
Protein
50g
Carbs
24g
Fat
22g
Total, 40 min active
1 hr 30 min, plus dry-brining
Servings
8

Nutrition is per serving.

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 5 lb)
  • 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1½ tsp black pepper
  • 1½ tbsp olive oil

Scalloped potatoes

  • 3 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced ⅛ in thick
  • 2¼ cups whole milk
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 6 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 shallot, halved (or ½ tsp onion powder plus ¼ tsp garlic powder)
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 strip lemon peel (optional)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp chopped chives or parsley, to finish

Steps

  1. Dry-brine the chicken. Pat the breasts bone-dry. Mix the paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and rub it all over, working some under the skin. Rest uncovered on a rack in the fridge, at least 40 minutes and ideally overnight.
  2. Infuse the cream. Heat the oven to 400°F. In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, garlic, shallot, thyme, bay leaves, smoked paprika, lemon peel and salt. Bring just to a simmer, turn off the heat and steep 10 minutes.
  3. Assemble the potatoes. Butter a 9x13 baking dish and shingle the potatoes in two overlapping layers. Strain the cream over them, pressing them down so they are just submerged, and discard the aromatics. Hold back about ¼ cup of the cream.
  4. Bake covered. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
  5. Uncover. Remove the foil, raise the oven to 425°F and return the potatoes uncovered.
  6. Sear the chicken. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe cast iron skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Sear the chicken skin-side down in two batches of two, 8–9 minutes without moving, until the skin renders and turns deep golden. Flip for 1 minute, then set aside skin-side up.
  7. Deglaze. Off the heat, pour the reserved cream into the skillet, scrape up the browned bits, and drizzle it over the potatoes.
  8. Roast. Wipe the skillet, return the chicken skin-side up, and roast alongside the potatoes 25–32 minutes, until the thickest part near the bone reads 155°F. Pull the potatoes when deeply golden and bubbling hard at the edges.
  9. Rest and serve. Rest the chicken on a wire rack 10–12 minutes; it carries to 162–165°F. Halve each breast crosswise, scatter the herbs over everything and serve over the potatoes.

Notes

  • Why cook them separately: baking large breasts on top of the potatoes softens the skin and keeps the potato top from browning. The deglazing step still carries the chicken’s flavor into the potatoes.
  • Use a thermometer: big bone-in breasts vary widely, so start checking at 25 minutes.
  • Timing slips: if the chicken finishes first, broil the potatoes 3–5 minutes to finish browning. If the potatoes finish first, hold them loosely covered with foil.
  • Dry potatoes: if the cream looks mostly absorbed when you uncover, add another ¼ cup milk before the uncovered bake.
  • At high altitude (around 5,000 ft): water boils near 202°F, so starches hydrate more slowly and the covered bake can’t be skipped. Bone-in chicken also roasts a little longer than sea-level recipes suggest.