When the oven starts smelling like French onion soup and I've only dirtied one sheet pan, I feel like I've gotten away with something. The potatoes get golden around the edges, and the chicken comes out under a blanket of melted Monterey Jack. That little packet of onion soup mix earns its keep here.
Table of Contents
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🥰 Is this sheet pan chicken recipe for you?
- You want chicken and a side dish from the same pan, preferably with cheese on both.
- You love the savory flavor of French onion soup and would happily outsource the onion chopping to a packet.
- You want a weeknight dinner you can round out with green beans and a hunk of crusty bread.
🧾 Ingredients
The onion soup mix seasons the chicken and the potatoes, which is a frankly impressive amount of work from something that's been lying flat in the pantry since March.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Pound the thick ends so the whole breast cooks evenly. A skillet works if you don't have a meat mallet and have had the sort of day that calls for one.
- Baby Yukon Gold potatoes. Buttery in the middle, golden on the cut sides, and absolutely the reason I hover over the pan before dinner. Baby reds work, too.
- Oil. Helps the seasoning cling and gets those cut sides browned. The potatoes have standards.
- Dry French onion soup mix. All that savory onion flavor from a packet you can tear open with the same energy you use to open a bill you weren't expecting.
- Garlic powder and black pepper. Garlic goes on the potatoes, black pepper goes on the chicken. Both know their assignments.
- Herbes de Provence. Optional. If your blend has lavender, give it a sniff first. A little is lovely. A lot and supper starts smelling like somebody's good guest soap.
- Monterey Jack cheese. Melts over the chicken and catches in the cracks between the potatoes. Colby Jack works, too. Either way, the bits stuck to the pan belong to the cook.
📖 Recipe
Sheet Pan French Onion Chicken and Potatoes
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 ½ pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, or red potatoes
- ¼ cup oil
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 ounce dry French onion soup mix, about 1 packet, divided
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, optional
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, about 1 cup, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a large sheet pan.
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness of about ¾ inch.
- Halve the baby potatoes, quartering any large ones.
- Toss the potatoes with 3 tablespoons of the oil, half the dry French onion soup mix, the garlic powder, and the herbes de Provence, if using.
- Arrange cut-side down in a single layer on the prepared pan and roast for 15 minutes.
- Rub the chicken with the remaining tablespoon of oil and season with the remaining soup mix and black pepper.
- Add the chicken to the sheet pan, leaving space between the pieces, and roast for about 15 minutes before checking for doneness.
- When the chicken is nearly done and the potatoes are browned and fork-tender, sprinkle half the shredded Monterey Jack over the chicken and half over the potatoes.
- Return the pan to the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese melts and the thickest part of each chicken breast reaches 165°F.
- If the chicken reaches 165°F before the potatoes are tender, transfer it to a clean plate. Finish roasting the potatoes, then add the cheese to the hot chicken and potatoes.
Notes
- Cut the potatoes evenly. Halve the small ones and quarter the big ones. Set them cut-side down so they get a proper golden crust.
- Pound the thick ends of the chicken. Aim for about ¾ inch throughout so the thin ends stay juicy while the middle cooks.
- Shake the soup mix packet before dividing it. Otherwise, one half gets the onion flakes and the other gets the dust. The potatoes will know.
- Wait to add the cheese. Let the potatoes brown and get fork-tender first. If the chicken reaches 165°F before the potatoes are ready, move it to a clean plate and give the potatoes a few more minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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🔪 How to make French onion sheet pan chicken
Give the potatoes a head start so they can get golden while the chicken stays juicy. The cheese goes on at the end.
- Halve the baby potatoes and quarter any larger ones so the pieces roast evenly.
- Mix the oil and seasonings for the potatoes, toss to coat, and roast them cut-side down.
- Season the chicken separately and add it to the sheet pan after the potatoes have had a head start.
- Once the potatoes are fork-tender and the chicken is nearly done, sprinkle Monterey Jack over both and return the pan to the oven to melt the cheese.
😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
🍗 The potatoes are still firm. If the chicken finishes first, move it to a clean plate and let the potatoes roast a few minutes longer.
🍗 The chicken cooks unevenly. Pound the breasts to an even thickness and check each piece in the thickest spot. Pull them as they reach 165°F.
🍗 The potatoes are soft instead of browned. Give them room on the pan, start them cut-side down, and wait until they've browned before adding cheese.
👩🏻🍳 FAQs
Yes. Cut them into bite-size pieces so they cook at about the same rate as halved baby potatoes.
Yes. It melts well and adds a little more color. Gruyere is good, too. Sprinkle it over the chicken and potatoes at the end.
🍽 What to serve with it
I like Southern green beans or a salad on the side and a piece of crusty baguette to mop up the oniony pan juices. That last bit on the pan is worth going back for.
📚 Related recipes
For another chicken-and-potatoes night, spoon Crockpot chicken and gravy over mashed potatoes. If it's the buttery crunch you're after, try Ritz cracker chicken.
🏡 I'd set the whole pan on the table and let everybody help themselves. Just claim a few of those browned potato edges first. People get surprisingly quick when there's melted cheese involved.
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