Melissa Jo’s Famous Sunday Chicken
If there is one chicken dinner that deserves the word FAMOUS, it is this one. Let me tell you somethingโa $10 or $12 pack of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs has absolutely NO business tasting this good!
This is what I make on Sundays when I want a dinner that feels Sunday-worthy, but I donโt feel like standing over the stove all afternoon. Weโre taking simple chicken thighs and stuffing them underneath the skin with creamy goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and lemon zest. Then they roast right on top of seasoned Honeygold potatoes so those potatoes can soak up ALLLL those incredible chicken juices.
If you love chicken and potatoes you got to try my Italian stuffed roasted chicken and potatoes, lemon pepper chicken and potatoes, roasted chicken legs and potatoes.
And because weโre already turning the oven on, I make my lemon Parmesan asparagus right alongside it. Same seasonings, same oven, practically no extra work.
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But hereโs the most important part: do not throw away those juices in the bottom of the chicken pan! When everything is done, spoon those lemony, savory, sun-dried tomato chicken juices all over the crispy chicken, potatoes, AND asparagus.
Iโm telling you right nowโthis is Sunday dinner.
Why you will love my Sunday chicken
This dinner looks and tastes like you worked WAY harder than you actually did. Bone-in chicken thighs are inexpensive, incredibly juicy, and basically impossible to make boring when you cook them like this. The goat cheese gets warm and creamy underneath the crispy chicken skin, the sun-dried tomatoes add so much flavor, and the potatoes roast underneath everything and soak up the drippings. Then you have that fresh lemon Parmesan asparagus on the side to finish the whole thing off.
Itโs rustic, delicious, affordable, and just fancy enough for Sunday.
These are some important ingredients you will need to make my DELICIOUS SUNDAY CHICKEN!
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Quarter the Honeygold potatoes season them with about Cavenderโs Greek seasoning, adobo seasoning, dried rosemary, and extra virgin olive oil. Toss everything together until those potatoes are nice and coated, then spread them evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.
Add the goat cheese to a bowl with sun-dried tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, the zest of one lemon, a little salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Donโt worry about completely draining the sun-dried tomatoes. A little of that delicious oil getting into the goat cheese is exactly what we want. Mix everything together until combined.
And listen to me: yes, you could substitute cream cheese or feta for the goat cheese. But please donโt. The goat cheese is what makes this chicken so freaking good.
Pat your chicken thighs very dry. This is going to help that skin get nice and crispy. Arrange the thighs over the potatoes.
Working with one thigh at a time, carefully pull the chicken skin back without completely removing it. Spoon some of the goat cheese mixture underneath the skin and spread it over the chicken. Then pull the skin right back over the filling. Repeat with all of the chicken thighs.
Now drizzle the chicken generously with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Then drizzle about of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar over the chicken. Season the tops with some more Cavenderโs Greek seasoning and adobo, a very small amount of salt, and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. Cut another lemon into slices or small wedges and tuck those pieces all around the chicken and potatoes. Now this is ready for the oven!
While the chicken is roasting, trim or snap off the tough woody ends of the asparagus and place the asparagus in a separate baking dish. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil and season with adobo, Cavenderโs Greek seasoning, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Put the asparagus into the 375ยฐF oven right alongside the chicken.
As soon as it comes out of the oven, squeeze fresh lemon juice all over the top and finish it with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan. SO simple and SO good.
Okay, this is where everything comes together. When the chicken is finished, youโre going to have the most unbelievable juices sitting underneath those chicken thighs and potatoes. DO NOT leave that in the pan! Plate your chicken, potatoes, and asparagus, then grab a big spoon and spoon those juices all over EVERYTHING.
Chicken? Pan juices.
Potatoes? Pan juices.
Asparagus? PAN JUICES.
That is what takes this whole dinner over the top.
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Melissaโs Tips!
- Pat the chicken dry. Dry skin = crispier skin.
- Use bone-in, skin-on thighs. They stay juicy and give you those amazing drippings for the potatoes.
- Donโt skimp on the olive oil. We purposely want liquid in the bottom of this pan because it becomes the sauce for the entire dinner.
- Use the sun-dried tomato oil. That stuff is liquid gold, so donโt toss it!
- Stick with the goat cheese if you can. Cream cheese or feta can work in a pinch, but goat cheese gives this recipe that creamy, tangy flavor that makes it special.
- Watch your salt. Cavenderโs and adobo already contain salt, so you only need a little additional salt.
- Baste the chicken. Spoon those pan juices over the chicken a couple of times while it roasts.
- Check your asparagus early if itโs thin. Thick asparagus can handle the longer roast; skinny asparagus may be ready sooner.
- Spoon the juices over everything before serving. I know I already told you, but Iโm telling you again because THATโS HOW GOOD IT IS.
๐ค Common Questions
I really recommend bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe. The skin gets crispy, the meat stays incredibly juicy, and the bone-in thighs create those flavorful drippings that make the potatoes and pan juices so delicious.
You can use cream cheese or feta if you absolutely have to, but goat cheese is my first choice. It gets creamy underneath the chicken skin and pairs perfectly with the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and lemon.
Absolutely! The chicken and potatoes are a complete recipe on their own. But I love the asparagus because you can throw it into the same oven, it uses many of the same ingredients, and it makes this feel like a complete Sunday dinner without much extra work.
Melissa Jo’s Famous Sunday Chicken
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 375ยฐF.
- Add quartered Honeygold potatoes to a large baking dish. Toss with Cavenderโs, adobo, rosemary, and about 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Pat chicken thighs dry and arrange over the potatoes.
- In a bowl, combine goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped basil, lemon zest, a little salt, and cracked black pepper.
- Carefully pull back the skin of each chicken thigh, stuff the goat cheese mixture underneath, and pull the skin back over the filling.
- Squeeze the juice from the zested lemon over the chicken.
- Generously drizzle the chicken with about 6 tablespoons olive oil and 2โ3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil.
- Season with additional Cavenderโs, adobo, a small amount of salt, and cracked black pepper. Tuck pieces of the second lemon around the chicken and potatoes.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, basting with the pan juices a couple of times during cooking, until the chicken reaches at least 165ยฐF internally and the skin is crispy.
- Meanwhile, place trimmed asparagus in a separate baking dish. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season with adobo, Cavenderโs, and black pepper.
- Roast alongside the chicken for about 45 minutes, checking sooner for thinner asparagus.
- Remove asparagus from the oven and immediately finish with fresh lemon juice and freshly grated Parmesan.
- Plate the chicken, potatoes, and asparagus. Spoon those incredible juices from the bottom of the chicken pan all over the chicken, potatoes, and asparagus before serving.
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Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Made this? Tap a star to rate it – it only takes a second and it means the world!๐ How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover chicken, potatoes, and asparagus in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3โ4 days.
And if you have leftover pan juices, SAVE THEM! Pour them into the container with the chicken and potatoes so all that flavor gets soaked up overnight.
For the best results, reheat the chicken and potatoes in the oven until warmed through. This will help bring some of that crispiness back to the chicken skin.
