Baked Chicken with Olives and Potatoes – So Easy, So Tasty

My sister shared this recipe for baked chicken with olives a while ago, and I’ve been making it ever since. It’s so easy, very tasty, and it’s the recipe that made me fall in love with baked olives. After a little digging, I discovered it originally came from Bon Appétit. I’ve slightly adapted it here, adding garlic and adjusting the method to suit my cooking preferences. If you love bold olive flavours, you might also enjoy my recipe for Chicken with Olive & Anchovy Sauce — it’s packed with flavour and comes together in one pan.

Chicken with Potatoes and Olives – One-Pan Dinner with Big Flavour

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

A one-pan chicken dinner with fingerling potatoes, baked kalamata olives, and a lemony herb finish. Packed with flavour and simple to prepare.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

 

• 1 small bay leaf torn
• 1 tsp fennel seeds scant teaspoon
• ½ tsp red chilli flakes
• 500 g fingerling potatoes or baby chat potatoes, scrubbed, skins left on
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup kalamata olives pitted (if available)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 chicken Maryland legs or any other chicken pieces approx. 1.4kg total
• 4 tbsp olive oil divided
• 1 large garlic clove or 2 medium, skin on
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cup finely chopped parsley

Instructions

 

• Grind or crush the bay leaf, fennel seeds, and chilli flakes together.
• Toss the potatoes and olives in half of the spice mix, with salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Set aside for now.
• Rub the remaining spice mix onto the chicken with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Place chicken in a baking dish or oven-safe pan and arrange the potatoes and olives around it.
• Tuck in the unpeeled garlic clove. Bake at 180°C/350°F fan (200°C/400°F conventional) for 30 minutes, uncovered.
• Whilst the chicken is cooking chop parsley finely and combine with lemon zest in a small bowl.
• Baste chicken with pan juices, increase heat to 200°C/400°Ffan (220°C/430°F conventional) for another 15-20 minutes until chicken is golden and cooked through and the potatoes are fork tender
• Remove the peel from the roasted garlic and squeeze into the juices, mash gently, and baste the chicken and potatoes liberally with the pan juices.
• Sprinkle over the parsley and lemon zest and add extra chilli flakes if desired. Serve onto individual plates and spoon over some of the pan juices. Lovely served with a green salad and fresh bread.

Video

Notes

• You may need to cut your fingerling or baby potatoes in half lengthwise depending on their size and the size of your chicken. This helps them cook evenly.
• If using smaller chicken pieces (like thighs), reduce cooking time slightly.
• Baked olives take on a mild, mellow flavour—don’t skip them!
• I recommend the extra chilli flakes on top just before serving, it gives the dish a lovely zing.
• I haven’t tried it myself yet, but I imagine a chopped red onion or capsicum would roast beautifully alongside the chicken and potatoes, adding a touch of sweetness and extra flavour.