Italian Stuffed Roast Chicken and Potatoes (In The Oven)
A couple years ago, I made my Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken, and if you’ve been around here for a while, you already know how much I love that recipe. But here’s the thing… I’m sorry to tell everybody, but bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are the superior cut of chicken. Period. End of story. They’re juicier, they’re more forgiving, they’re packed with flavor, and honestly, they’re so much easier to stuff than chicken breasts.
Now, if you’re team chicken breast, I still love ya. I’ve got plenty of stuffed chicken breast recipes you can make instead like my creamy stuffed chicken breast and my viral stuffed chicken! But until you’ve tried stuffed chicken thighs, I’m telling you… you don’t even know what you’re missing.
So I had this little lightbulb moment. What if I took my Italian Roast Chicken and Potatoes and married it with my Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken? Two of my favorite recipes… one absolutely over-the-top dinner. And let me tell you, this might be one of my favorite mashups I’ve ever created.
These chicken thighs are stuffed with creamy cheese, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh lemon zest, Parmesan, and seasonings, then everything gets covered in my ridiculously good Italian herb marinade. Throw some potatoes in the pan to soak up every drop of that flavor, roast it all together, and you’ve officially got the best of both worlds.
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This recipe is comforting, fresh, cheesy, garlicky, lemony, and packed with flavor in every single bite. It’s one of those meals that looks impressive enough for company but is easy enough to make on a weeknight.
Trust me on this one… you’re going to lose your mind over it. And if this recipe doesn’t convince you to subscribe to my blog, I don’t know what will. I’ve got plenty more where this came from!
During the second half of cooking, baste the chicken with the flavorful marinade and juices from the bottom of the baking dish.
Melissa’s Tips!
• Pat the chicken completely dry so the skin gets golden and crispy.
• Let the cream cheese soften before mixing so the filling is easier to combine and spread.
• Slice the russet potatoes into ¼-inch rounds so they cook through evenly.
• Drain the sun-dried tomatoes well if they are packed in oil.
• Carefully loosen the chicken skin without removing it completely.
• Add only a few tablespoons of filling under each chicken skin so it does not spill out while baking.
• Keep the chicken skin-side up while it roasts.
• Baste the chicken once or twice during the second half of cooking.
• Remove the chicken before raising the oven temperature to 450°F to brown the potatoes.
• Watch the potatoes closely during the final 7–10 minutes because the marinade can brown quickly.
🤔 Common Questions
Bone-in, skin-on thighs work best because the skin holds the creamy stuffing in place and becomes crispy while roasting. Boneless, skinless thighs would require a different method and a shorter cooking time.
Yes! You can prepare the stuffing and marinade a day ahead and refrigerate them separately. You can also stuff the chicken a few hours before baking. Keep everything refrigerated until you are ready to assemble and cook it.
Yes! Parmesan is a great substitute and will give the stuffing a slightly sharper, saltier flavor. You could also use grated Asiago or a Parmesan-Romano blend. Just keep in mind that Pecorino Romano is saltier, so you may want to use a little less salt when seasoning the chicken.
Stuffed Italian Roast Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Bring the chicken thighs to room temperature, then pat them very dry with paper towels. This step is important because dry chicken skin gets much crispier in the oven.
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and cracked black pepper. Set it aside while you prepare the stuffing and marinade.
- Add the softened cream cheese, chopped spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, ½ tsp of the Zesty Italian seasoning, Italian seasoning, lemon zest and Pecorino Romano to a mixing bowl.
- Mix everything together until the ingredients are evenly incorporated throughout the cream cheese.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, tomato paste, garlic paste, Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base, crushed red pepper flakes, parsley, Pecorino Romano and the rest of the packet of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix.
- Keep whisking until the tomato paste and chicken base are completely blended into the marinade.
- Arrange the sliced russet potatoes and onions inside a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Drizzle a small amount of the Italian marinade over the potatoes and onions. Toss everything together until the vegetables are lightly coated, then spread them into an even layer.
- You only need enough marinade to coat the potatoes and onions lightly because the rest will be poured over the chicken.
- Carefully loosen the skin from each chicken thigh with your fingers, creating a pocket without completely removing the skin.
- Add a few tablespoons of the creamy spinach mixture underneath the skin of each thigh. Gently spread the mixture across the top of the chicken meat, then pull the skin back over the stuffing.
- Do not overstuff the chicken or the filling may spill out too much while it cooks.
- Place the stuffed chicken thighs skin-side up over the potatoes and onions.
- Pour the remaining Italian marinade evenly over the chicken, potatoes and onions. Make sure some of that delicious marinade gets over each chicken thigh, but keep the thighs skin-side up so the skin can roast properly.
- Bake the chicken uncovered at 375°F for about 1 hour on the middle rack of the oven, until the chicken is fully cooked, the skin is golden and the potatoes are tender.
- During the second half of cooking, baste the chicken once or twice with the marinade and pan juices from the bottom of the baking dish.
- The thickest part of the chicken should reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F, without the thermometer touching the bone.
- Once the chicken is cooked, carefully transfer the thighs to a platter and loosely cover them with foil.
- Increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Return the potatoes and onions to the oven for another 7–10 minutes, or until the edges are golden and caramelized.
- Keep an eye on them because the marinade can brown quickly at the higher temperature.
- Allow the chicken to rest for about 5–10 minutes before serving.
- Spoon the roasted potatoes, onions and plenty of those delicious Italian pan juices onto each plate. Place a stuffed chicken thigh over the top and serve!
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👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover chicken, potatoes and onions in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
For the best results, reheat the chicken and potatoes in a 350°F oven until warmed through. You can cover the dish loosely at first, then uncover it for the final few minutes to help the chicken skin crisp back up.
