What to Make With Chicken and Potatoes: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners
Chicken and potatoes is the plate people expect when they are tired. The trick is starting the potatoes first, because they take longer than the chicken. One card is a sheet pan, one is a skillet with smashed potatoes, and one is a soup you can eat with a spoon on the couch. All three are 30 minutes or less if the potatoes are cut small. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Quick picks: 3 dinners with chicken and potatoes in 30 minutes or less
Fastest option: a 20-minute dinner
20 min
Chicken potato soup
Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Shredded chicken and small potato cubes in a salted pot, finished by mashing a few cubes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 2 potatoes
- 1 onion
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
Steps
- Soften the onion in a pot with a little oil.
- Add the potatoes, diced small, the water, and the salt. Simmer 12 minutes.
- Mash a few potato cubes against the side so the soup looks creamy without any cream.
- Stir in the chicken just to heat it. It is already cooked.
- Taste. Potato soup needs more salt than you think.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days. Add water when the potatoes have drunk the broth.
One-pan or sheet-pan option
30 min
Sheet-pan chicken and potatoes
Total time, start to plate · One sheet pan · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Potato wedges get a head start, then chicken pieces roast beside them on one pan.
Ingredients
- 1 lb potatoes
- 1 lb chicken
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the potatoes into wedges and toss them with oil, salt, and paprika.
- Roast the wedges alone for 12 minutes.
- Add the chicken in a single layer. If it is breast, cut it so it isn't a thick lump.
- Roast until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are brown at the edges, about 15 minutes.
- Rest 3 minutes. Cut a piece. If the center is glossy, give it a few more minutes.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days. The wedges are good cold in a lunch box.
The other dinner
28 min
Skillet smashed potatoes and chicken
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Small potatoes fry and get smashed, then bite-size chicken cooks in the same skillet.
Ingredients
- 1 lb small potatoes
- 1 lb chicken
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp oil
Steps
- Halve the potatoes if they are bigger than a golf ball. Salt them.
- Fry them cut side down in oil until they are brown, then smash each one with the back of a spoon.
- Push the potatoes to the edge. Add the chicken, cut small, in the middle of the skillet.
- Cook until the chicken is opaque. Stir in the garlic for the last minute so it doesn't burn.
- Toss the potatoes back through the chicken juices and taste for salt.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days. Smash them again in a hot pan to bring the crust back.
Make it with leftovers
Cooked chicken can be shredded onto the smashed potatoes and into the soup. Don't put cooked chicken on the sheet pan for the full half hour or it dries out. Add it for the last 5 minutes. Leftover roasted potatoes are only good smashed in the skillet, not as raw coins.
Pantry staples you'll need
- Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic
- Paprika
No potatoes: thick carrot coins can roast on the same sheet, though they stay firmer. No chicken: sausage coins work on the sheet pan. See sausage and potatoes if that is what you actually have.
Picky-eater and healthy tweaks
Salt, oil, and potato are the whole pitch for a cautious kid. Skip paprika on their corner of the sheet. The soup is the soft option if crunch is the problem.
Leave the skin on the potatoes. You get more dinner and less peeling. Use chicken breast on the sheet pan if you want it leaner, and don't add butter to the soup.
Have something else in the fridge?
Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
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Questions
What can I make with chicken and potatoes in 20 minutes?
Chicken potato soup takes 20 minutes, start to plate. Shredded chicken and small potato cubes in a salted pot, finished by mashing a few cubes.
What's the easiest dinner with chicken and potatoes?
Skillet smashed potatoes and chicken is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 28 minutes. Small potatoes fry and get smashed, then bite-size chicken cooks in the same skillet.
Can I make this with leftover or cooked chicken?
Cooked chicken can be shredded onto the smashed potatoes and into the soup. Don't put cooked chicken on the sheet pan for the full half hour or it dries out. Add it for the last 5 minutes. Leftover roasted potatoes are only good smashed in the skillet, not as raw coins.
What else can I add to chicken and potatoes for a full meal?
The cards already use small potatoes, chicken, salt. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.
Is chicken and potatoes a healthy dinner?
Leave the skin on the potatoes. You get more dinner and less peeling. Use chicken breast on the sheet pan if you want it leaner, and don't add butter to the soup.
How do I make chicken and potatoes kid-friendly?
Salt, oil, and potato are the whole pitch for a cautious kid. Skip paprika on their corner of the sheet. The soup is the soft option if crunch is the problem.
Can I make chicken and potatoes in one pan or a sheet pan?
Sheet-pan chicken and potatoes uses one sheet pan and takes 30 minutes. Potato wedges get a head start, then chicken pieces roast beside them on one pan.
What if I don't have potatoes?
No potatoes: thick carrot coins can roast on the same sheet, though they stay firmer. No chicken: sausage coins work on the sheet pan. See sausage and potatoes if that is what you actually have.