Roast Chicken Half with Fingerling Potatoes
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Roast Chicken Half with Fingerling Potatoes is one of those deceptively simple dishes that you’ll want in your regular rotation. By roasting a split chicken instead of a whole bird, you get faster cooking, more evenly rendered skin, and juicy meat every time with no guesswork. It’s perfect for a lovely French-inspired dinner for two!
QUICK TAKE:
This Roast Chicken Half with Fingerling Potatoes is a one-pan meal for two that delivers restaurant-quality results with weeknight ease. It’s unfussy and precisely the kind of reliable, back-pocket recipe you’ll come back to again and again. I did! I made it many times for my personal chef clients.
The wine and broth, in addition to the juices that fall from the chicken, create an amazingly flavorful, luscious sauce to serve alongside.
QUICK Tips:
- The Fresh Market and Whole Foods will do a special cut and sell you a half-chicken. If purchasing a whole chicken is your only option, you’ll need a good, sharp knife or heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut it. Follow my technique for spatchcocked Greek Roast Chicken to get you started. Package the other half securely, and freeze for use at a later date.
- Lose the chill. Bring the chicken out of the refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before roasting for more even cooking.
- Rinse the chicken half, then pat it dry. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the back for a neater presentation, so the entire breast browns evenly.
- Because a half-chicken is easier to manage than a whole chicken, I sear it in a nonstick pan before placing it in the oven to ensure crispy skin. A nonstick pan ensures you won’t lose any of the skin.
- Start the potatoes 15 minutes after the chicken, so they’ll both be finished around the same time.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes so the juices redistribute.
SERVE WITH:
- Steakhouse Creamed Spinach
- Mediterranean Braised Green Beans
- Lemony Braised Greens with Olives
- Roasted Beet Salad
More great, easy ROAST chicken recipes:
- Roast Split Chicken Breasts
- Chicken Marrakesh with Jeweled Couscous
- Garlic Herb Butter Roast Chicken
- Sheet Pan Roast Chicken
Get all my chicken recipes at Chicken Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Roast Chicken Half with Fingerling Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 8-10 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- Fresh thyme sprigs
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 roasting chicken, about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
Potatoes
- 3/4 pound fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary and chicken broth in a roasting pan fitted with a wire rack.
- Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Place chicken skin side down and sear 3-4 minutes or until the skin is golden. Carefully turn it skin side up and transfer to prepared roasting pan.
- Remove pan from the heat. Add wine to the skillet and place back on the heat. Bring just to a boil, then pour along with any pan drippings into roasting pan.
- Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and cook another 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (being careful not to touch bone) registers 165 degrees and juices run clear.
- Let chicken rest 5-10 minutes before carving.
- Strain pan juices into a small serving bowl. Serve chicken with potatoes (see below) and the pan juice with the chicken.
Potatoes
- Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil.
- Toss potatoes with oil, mustard, rosemary, salt and black pepper.
- Place the potatoes, cut side down on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast the potatoes 30 minutes, turn them over and continue roasting another 15 minutes.
Notes
- Turnips, kohlrabi, and rutabaga make great substitutes for potatoes if you want something low-carb.
- The Fresh Market and Whole Foods will cut and sell half chickens. If buying whole, split it with a sharp knife or kitchen shears; freeze the unused half for later.
- Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before roasting for even cooking.
- Rinse, then pat very dry. Tuck wing tips behind the back so the breast browns evenly.
- Sear the chicken skin-side down in a nonstick pan before roasting to ensure golden, intact skin.
- Add the fingerling potatoes 15 minutes after the chicken, so everything finishes together.
- Let the chicken rest 5–10 minutes to keep it juicy.
- Have the chicken prepped and ready to sear. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are automatically calculated using unbranded products and are estimates only. Actual results may vary based on ingredients used and portion sizes. Adjust as needed for dietary restrictions, allergies, or health concerns.
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For those who aren’t pros at cooking. Make sure you reduce the heat before adding the wine. I almost burnt my house down.
Thanks, Christine! Great tip and I’ll add it to the recipe.