This Sheet-Pan Chicken Recipe Is Our New Favorite Weeknight Dinner

When you're in need of a low-maintenance dinner, sheet-pan recipes are the way to go, and this meal from Food & Wine Culinary Director-at-Large Justin Chapple couldn't be more simple. On this week's episode of Mad Genius: Home Edition, he transforms a baking potato, red onion, bacon, sourdough, and chicken into an easy, satisfying meal, thanks to a little magic from chicken fat. It all cooks together on one baking sheet, and it's ready in just over an hour, too.

The end result, Justin says, is going to be your "new favorite weeknight dinner." Read on for some of his key tips for making the meal, and grab the recipe here.

Break everything down into chunks

To assemble this recipe, all you really need to do is break everything down into pieces (except the chicken, of course) and throw it on a baking sheet. Make sure you cut the potatoes into 3/4-inch wedges so they cook at the same rate that the chicken cooks, and when you're cutting the onions into pieces, cut through the core.

Freeze the bacon first

Justin uses "extremely thick-cut" bacon in this video, but if you have slab bacon, that's even better. Pop it in the freezer for 20 or 30 minutes first to make the cutting process a little easier—the pieces should be about 1/2-inch wide. (And don't forget to wash your hands afterward.)

Grab the chicken

You want dark-meat chicken for this recipe, and Justin says either legs or thighs will work. Plop them right on top of the bread, potato, bacon, and onion mixture, and make sure they're skin-side up so the skin can get nice and crispy in the oven. As it roasts, the chicken will also release fat onto the baking sheet, which will be absorbed by the bread and create "the best, most flavorful croutons you've ever had in your life."

Once everything's on the sheet pan, just throw it in the oven, bake, and enjoy. It's that easy.

Get the Recipe: Sheet-Pan Chicken with Sourdough and Bacon