Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Romanesco Squash, Spring Onions and Basil, with Duck-Fat Potatoes

Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs

Starting the thighs before adding the vegetables lets the skin render and brown without overcooking the squash. The vegetables then pick up the savory chicken drippings.

Ingredients

• 4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2–2½ pounds total
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Use a large, heavy rimmed sheet pan for the chicken and vegetables and a separate pan for the potatoes.
2. Pat the thighs thoroughly dry. Rub with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest, keeping the skin stretched over the meat.
3. Arrange skin-side up on the chicken sheet pan, leaving room for the vegetables. Roast on the upper rack for 20 minutes.
4. Add the prepared squash and spring onions as directed in their component. Continue roasting for 20–30 minutes, rotating the pan as needed, until the skin is deeply golden and the thickest part of each thigh reaches 175–185°F without touching bone.
5. Transfer the thighs to a warm plate and rest uncovered for 5–10 minutes. If any vegetables need longer, return them to the oven.

Notes

• For even crisper skin, salt the chicken and refrigerate uncovered for 4–24 hours before cooking; add the oil, pepper and zest just before roasting.
• If the chicken is cooked but the skin needs more color, broil briefly, watching constantly.

Roasted Romanesco Squash and Spring Onions with Basil

Thick squash pieces keep their shape while the cut surfaces brown. Spring onions soften in the chicken juices, and basil and lemon keep the finished vegetables lively.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds romanesco summer squash, cut into 1–1¼-inch rounds or half-rounds
• 4 spring onions with small bulbs, trimmed and cut lengthwise into wedges, with tender greens cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Dry the squash well. Toss it and the onion bulb wedges with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper; reserve the tender onion greens.
2. After the chicken has roasted for 20 minutes, spread the vegetables around it in a single layer, placing broad cut surfaces against the pan. Avoid covering the chicken skin.
3. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning the vegetables once. Add the reserved onion greens during the last 10 minutes. The squash should be browned outside and tender but not collapsing, and the onions should have caramelized edges.
4. Check that the vegetables sharing the chicken pan reach at least 165°F before serving. Transfer the chicken out when ready and give the vegetables additional time if needed.
5. Gently toss the vegetables with a little of the pan juices and the lemon juice. Taste for salt, then fold in half the basil off heat and reserve the rest for plating.

Notes

• Use a pan large enough to leave space between the vegetables; crowded squash will steam rather than brown.
• Costata Romanesco or another firm, ribbed zucchini works well here.

Duck-Fat Roast Potatoes

A short parboil softens the potato surfaces so they roughen slightly when drained. Hot duck fat turns those edges crisp while the centers stay creamy.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1½–2-inch halves or wedges
• 3 tablespoons duck fat
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt for the boiling water
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt for roasting, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch and add the boiling-water salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the outer edges are tender but the centers still resist a knife.
2. Drain thoroughly and let steam-dry for 5 minutes. Shake the colander gently to roughen the edges without breaking the potatoes.
3. While the potatoes dry, put the duck fat on a heavy rimmed sheet pan and heat in the 425°F oven for 3–5 minutes.
4. Carefully add the dry potatoes to the hot fat, turn to coat, and season with the roasting salt and pepper. Arrange with a broad cut side down and space between pieces.
5. Roast on the lower rack for 45–55 minutes, turning after about 25 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp on several sides. Rotate the pan if browning unevenly.
6. Taste for salt and serve promptly, leaving excess fat on the pan.

Notes

• Do not pour chicken juices over the potatoes; keep those with the chicken and squash so the potato crust stays crisp.

Overall Timing / Workflow

The potatoes get a small head start, and the vegetables join the chicken partway through roasting. Everything finishes within the same serving window.

Instructions

1. 0:00 — Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the potatoes and start them in salted water. Pat dry and season the chicken.
2. 0:15–0:25 — Drain and steam-dry the potatoes, heat the duck fat, then start the potatoes on the lower rack and chicken on the upper rack.
3. While the pans roast, cut and season the squash and spring onions, wash and dry the basil, and prepare the lemon.
4. 20 minutes after the chicken goes in — Add the squash and onion bulbs around the chicken. Turn the potatoes when their undersides are well browned.
5. 35–40 minutes after the chicken goes in — Add the onion greens and begin checking the chicken temperature.
6. 40–50 minutes after the chicken goes in — Remove cooked thighs to rest. Finish the vegetables and potatoes as needed, then dress the vegetables with lemon and basil.
7. Serve once the chicken has rested and the potatoes are crisp. Allow about 75–85 minutes from starting prep to sitting down.

Plating

Keeping the juicy vegetables and crisp potatoes in distinct areas preserves their textures. Basil added at the last moment stays fragrant.

Instructions

1. Divide the squash and spring onions among four warm plates and place one chicken thigh beside or partly over the vegetables, skin-side up.
2. Pile the duck-fat potatoes alongside, keeping them out of pooled juices.
3. Spoon a little chicken pan juice around the vegetables, not over the crisp skin. Scatter the reserved basil leaves over and around the chicken and squash.

Leftover Path

Storing the potatoes separately keeps them from absorbing vegetable juices. Dry oven heat restores more texture than microwave reheating.

Instructions

1. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers, keeping potatoes separate from chicken and vegetables. Use within 3–4 days.
2. Reheat chicken skin-side up at 375°F until it reaches 165°F, usually 20–25 minutes. Add the vegetables for the last 10 minutes.
3. Recrisp potatoes on a preheated sheet pan at 425°F for 15–20 minutes, turning once.
4. Alternatively, shred the chicken and serve with the warmed squash and onions over a fresh green salad, with lemon and fresh basil.