Baked Chicken and Sweet Potatoes is a one-dish dinner: four bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts roasted on top of large cubes of sweet potato, red onion and whole garlic cloves, with a cup of dry white wine poured into the pan. Everything goes into the oven raw at 375°F and roasts together for about an hour, until the chicken reaches 165°F. It serves 4 with 10 minutes of prep.
How to make it: Scatter the sweet potatoes, onion and garlic in a large baking dish, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and set the seasoned chicken breasts on top. Pour in the wine and roast about 1 hour, until a thermometer in the chicken reads 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- 10 minutes of prep: cube, toss, season, and the oven does the rest.
- One baking dish: the chicken and vegetables cook together.
- Seven ingredients: chicken, sweet potatoes, red onion, garlic, olive oil, wine, salt and pepper.
- A full plate each: one split breast and about a cup of sweet potato per serving.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breasts: 4 bone-in, split, skin-on breasts. The hour-long roast is set for this cut; boneless or thin chicken cooks much faster (see below).
Sweet potatoes: 4 cups, peeled and cut in large cubes.
Red onion and garlic: 1 red onion in large cubes and 6 whole peeled garlic cloves roast right alongside.
Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tablespoon to coat the vegetables.
Dry white wine: 1 cup, such as Sauvignon Blanc, poured into the pan.
Salt and pepper: to taste, for the vegetables and a liberal seasoning on both sides of the chicken.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (bone-in, split, skin-on)
- 4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in large cubes
- 1 red onion, cut in large cubes
- 6 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
How to Make Baked Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 375°F.
2. Fill the baking dish. Scatter the sweet potatoes, garlic and red onion in the bottom of a large baking dish.
3. Oil and season the vegetables. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
4. Add the chicken. Place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables and season them liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
5. Add the wine. Pour the white wine into the pan.
6. Roast. Roast for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices come out clear. A food thermometer should read 165°F in the chicken.
Can Raw Chicken and Sweet Potatoes Cook Together in the Oven?
Yes. In this recipe the raw chicken goes straight onto the raw sweet potatoes, with no head start for either, and they roast together for about an hour at 375°F. What makes it work is matching the cut of chicken to the size of the potato pieces:
- Bone-in breasts + large cubes, 375°F, about 1 hour. This recipe. The chicken sits on top of the vegetables.
- Boneless thighs + 1-inch cubes, 400°F, about 30 minutes. Both go on a foil-lined sheet pan at the same time, until the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Thin breasts + diced sweet potatoes, 425°F, with a head start. The sweet potatoes bake alone for 15 minutes, then the pounded-thin chicken joins them for about 15 more.
- Chicken legs + sweet potato fries, 450°F, about 40 to 45 minutes. The fries go around the chicken on a lined baking sheet.
Don’t swap the timings between cuts. The hour at 375°F is for bone-in split breasts; boneless or thin chicken would overcook long before then.
How to tell it’s done: clear juices are a good sign, but the test is a food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone. It should read 165°F. Check the sweet potatoes with a fork too; it should slide into the center easily.
Tips
- Use a large baking dish so the vegetables sit in a single layer under the chicken.
- Season the chicken on both sides, liberally, before it goes on the vegetables.
- Cut the sweet potatoes large. They have an hour to cook, so big cubes hold their shape.
- Serve the pan juices. Spoon the wine and chicken juices from the bottom of the dish over each plate.
Variations
- Honey garlic thighs: toss boneless thighs and 1-inch sweet potato cubes with Dijon, honey, olive oil, granulated garlic and rosemary, bake at 400°F to 165°F, then brush with honey and broil 2 to 3 minutes.
- Cajun chicken and broccoli: season thin chicken breasts with 2 tablespoons Cajun or taco seasoning, garlic and lemon juice, and roast with broccoli after the sweet potatoes get a 15-minute head start.
- Smoky spices: season with chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic and cumin.
- Rosemary and lemon: dried rosemary, lemon zest and a pinch of red pepper flakes on chicken legs with sweet potato fries.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if it’s above 90°F) in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze for 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave.
Reheating: Reheat covered until it reaches 165°F. In the microwave, cover and rotate the dish, add a splash of liquid if needed, and check the temperature in several places. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Add a green vegetable: roasted asparagus and carrots or roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts with feta and craisins can share the oven. For a sauce, spoon the pan juices over the top.
More chicken dinners: the slow cooker Amish chicken and sweet potatoes with brown sugar and butter, chicken and potatoes with Dijon cream sauce, baked barbecue chicken thighs with onions and oven baked chicken Charleston.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you cook chicken and sweet potatoes together in the oven?
Yes. Here raw bone-in breasts roast on top of large sweet potato cubes at 375°F for about an hour, until the chicken reaches 165°F.
Can I use boneless chicken?
Yes, but it cooks much faster. Boneless thighs with 1-inch sweet potato cubes take about 30 minutes at 400°F. Check for 165°F.
What sauce goes with chicken and sweet potatoes?
The wine and chicken juices from the pan. A honey-Dijon dressing is another good match.
Do I have to peel the sweet potatoes?
This recipe peels them and cuts them in large cubes.
How do I know the chicken is done?
A food thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, away from the bone, should read 165°F.
Final Notes
Cube, toss, top with the chicken, pour in the wine and let the oven work. If you try the honey garlic thigh version, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Baked Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts bone-in, split, skin-on
- 4 cups sweet potatoes peeled, cut in large cubes
- 1 red onion cut in large cubes
- 6 cloves garlic whole, peeled
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F.
- Scatter the sweet potatoes, garlic and red onion in the bottom of a large baking dish.
- Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
- Place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables and season them liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Pour the white wine into the pan.
- Roast for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices come out clear. A food thermometer should read 165°F in the chicken.
