Weekly R&R #003: Lemon Roasted Chicken, Artichokes and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1½ lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4–6 pieces)
• Kosher salt, to taste
• ½ large yellow onion, cut into 1-inch wedges (keep root end attached)
• 1 tbsp canola oil (or another high-heat oil)
• 15 oz can artichoke hearts, drained & halved
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 cup white wine (e.g., Pinot Grigio)
• ½ lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2½ cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ⅛ cup chopped fresh oregano
• ⅛ cup chopped fresh parsley or thyme
• Juice of ½ lemon (optional, see notes)

Instructions

1.  Parboil the Potatoes

1. Place halved Yukon Gold potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water.
2. Bring to a boil and cook for 7–9 minutes until just fork-tender.
3. Drain and let them steam dry in the colander for a few minutes.

2. Sear the Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Pat chicken dry, season generously with kosher salt.
3. Heat canola oil in a large oven-safe skillet over high heat.
4. Place chicken skin-side down and sear until deeply golden, about 7–9 minutes.
5. Transfer chicken to a plate (it will finish in the oven).

3. Sear Onions & Potatoes

1. Pour off excess fat, leaving about 1 tbsp in the skillet.
2. Add onion wedges, sear 2 minutes until lightly caramelized.
3. Push onions aside, add parboiled potatoes cut-side down.
4. Sear 3–5 minutes until golden brown.

4. Assemble & Bake

1. Nestle artichokes among onions and potatoes.
2. Place chicken back in, skin-side up, on top of vegetables.
3. Add peppercorns & bay leaf.
4. Pour in white wine, bring to a simmer. (Optional: add lemon juice here for subtle acidity)
5. Transfer skillet to oven, bake until chicken is golden and reads 165°F, about 45–55 minutes.

5. Optional (while chicken bakes): Make Garlic-Herb Oil

1. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Add garlic slices, cook gently until golden brown (~10 min).
3. Remove from heat, stir in oregano & parsley/thyme.
4. (Optional: add lemon zest here for brightness)

6. Serve

• Spoon garlic-herb oil over chicken, potatoes, and artichokes.
• If skipping lemon juice earlier, squeeze fresh lemon over just before serving.

Notes

• Lemon juice in cooking (added with wine) → mellower, more blended citrus flavor.
• Lemon juice at the end → fresh, bright pop of acidity.
• Parboiling keeps potatoes creamy inside, while pan-searing keeps them from going soggy.

There are times when you cook to celebrate — and there are times when you cook to find calm and center yourself .

This dish served the latter.

Roasted chicken, artichokes, lemon, garlic — and this time, potatoes. I don’t usually add them, but I had a handful of baby Yukons that were starting to soften on the counter. It wasn’t part of the traditional recipe, but it felt right. A small reminder that even when things feel uncertain, you can still make something good out of what you’ve got.

Interestingly enough, I first came across this dish years ago when learning to cook through a ButcherBox recipe (here). I don't always hold onto recipes from meal kit services, but this one stuck. I’ve made it many times since — never exactly the same, always adjusting. Sometimes it’s artichokes from a jar, sometimes fresh. Sometimes I skip the potatoes, this time they were one of the stars. But the inspiration traces back to that recipe, and it’s become a quiet favorite in my rotation.

I made this particular version during a stretch of time when I felt unmoored. The silence around me was heavy. I kept trying to fill it — with noise, with motion, with anything but stillness. But cooking was different. Cooking didn’t ask me to distract myself. It wasn't joy as a distraction from grief, it was joy for the sake of joy.

And in that process — peeling garlic, zesting lemon, tossing everything together — I found something grounding. Not in the sense of fixing anything. Just in showing up for myself. Making something warm, real, and comforting.

I didn’t overthink the recipe. That felt right at the time. Chicken thighs that were on sale, roasted in lemon, garlic, and olive oil. Artichokes for brine and brightness. Potatoes — those soft, almost-forgotten ones — crisped at the edges, golden and tender by the end.

That night, the dish didn’t need to be perfect, It just needed to be enough. And sometimes that's okay.

From my kitchen to yours,

-PGP