sheet-pan greek chicken and potatoes

opa! in under hour

photos by Anna Routh Barzin

Click here for the WTC recipe index, and scroll to the very bottom of this post for a printer-version copy of today’s recipe.

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It’s an exciting day because it’s the third time I’ve snuck FENNEL into the hallowed halls of What To Cook. If you’re new here, fennel is my girlfriend. It’s one of the most misunderstood, under-appreciated vegetables out there, and I am it’s number one hype girl.

Served raw, it tastes like horrible licorice (to me, at least — many people love it thinly sliced and served as a salad!). But once roasted, that licorice flavor mellows out, and it tastes similar to perfect caramelized onions, only not so mushy. Fennel that has been roasted to the point of caramelization like we do here — deliciously tender and browned — is one of my very favorite foods.

Hundreds of you fell in love with it when I shared this sheet-pan roasted chicken with bourbon and citrus back in WTC’s earliest days. Today, I’m giving new and old fennel lovers alike another chance at romance with the crazy looking bulb.

If you really, truly hate fennel and are feeling meh toward all of this fennel adoration… as always, there is a sub for you in the notes section below the recipe.

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let’s talk about this week’s meal

This recipe has been on my What To Cook to-do list since I first started this newsletter in December of 2020. The Greek Potatoes from my cookbook, Just Married, is one of my favorite vegetable recipes in the book (they’re on page 213). Potatoes and fennel roast together on the same sheet pan with a medley of Mediterranean spices. As soon as they’re done cooking, they’re topped with feta and a bunch of fresh herbs. It’s simple, it’s packed with flavor, it’s delightful.

Here, we’re adding chicken to the mix, which frankly makes it a far superior dish than the original. The potatoes and fennel roast in the chicken fat, becoming incredibly tender and flavorful.

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sheet-pan greek chicken and potatoes

Serves 4

~1 hour (If you have enough time, marinate the chicken for up to 12 hours before it’s time to cook for maximum flavor!)