This one pan chicken drumsticks and potatoes is an easy weeknight dinner to pull together. Simply combine chicken drumsticks with potatoes and carrots on a rimmed baking sheet.
Season with fresh squeezed lemon, and a few sprigs of rosemary, then roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
The bottom of the lemony potatoes and carrots will brown while they roast to sweet perfect. The seasoned drumsticks come out juicy and full of flavor. It’s one of those healthy sheet pan dinners you’ll want to make again and again!
Most of the time when I roast chicken at home I start with the whole chicken (like my whole roasted pasture-raised chicken recipe).
But when I saw a local farmer selling individual cuts of chicken at the farmers market, I jumped at the chance to break routine. Variety is the spice of life after all.
I have a few different ways I like to cook chicken drumsticks and this lemon chicken and potatoes is a favorite recipe of mine.
Why You’ll Love it
You’ll love this easy sheet pan dinner because:
- It’s a complete meal that roasts on one pan, no need to cook a side of vegetables
- Minimal prep work, just peel and slice the vegetables
- Simple ingredients, this easy recipe is made with all whole food ingredients so it’s healthy too!
Ingredients to Make This One Pan Dinner
1. Chicken Drumsticks
To make two servings of this easy sheet pan chicken dinner you’ll need about a pound and a half of skin-on chicken drumsticks. Pat them dry with paper towel after removing any packaging. This will help them brown while they roast.
I’m roasting chicken drumsticks from Gray Family Farmstead near Hendersonville, North Carolina.
They’re a small family farm run by husband and wife duo Luke and Abigail Gray. In addition to pasture raised meat chickens they also have ducks, egg laying hens and turkeys. (Time to start thinking about a farm-to-table thanksgiving dinner.)
2. Potatoes
I’m roasting new potatoes from the farmers market. You can also use red potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes or whatever potatoes you have on hand.
Select small to medium potatoes that are roughly the same size. I avoid larger russet potatoes so I can just slice them in half and plop them on the baking pan.
You can peel the potatoes if you like, or just give them a good scrub and leave the skin on.
3. Carrots
For two servings of dinner I recommend four large carrots. If your carrots are smaller, best not to slice them in half or they’ll over cook before the sheet pan chicken drumsticks are done.
Feel free to use more if they’ll fit on your sheet pan and you want a bigger serving.
4. Lemon
This one pan meal is not complete without fresh lemon. Buy a large lemon and, for the best flavor, don’t substitute bottled lemon juice. As you’ll see in the instructions, we lay each of the drumsticks on top of a lemon slice to really infuse them with lemony flavor. It’s so good!
5. Fresh Rosemary
Set aside four large sprigs of fresh rosemary to lay over top of this sheet pan meal.
You’ll be surprised by how much flavor this simple step imparts into the chicken and vegetables. It’s enough, and not too much.
6. Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper
We’ll drizzle everything with a generous amount of olive oil and a three finger pinch of each salt and pepper.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Medium rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan
- Parchment paper
- Vegetable peeler
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
How to Make One Pan Chicken and Potatoes
First, preheat your oven to 450 Fahrenheit. Now just 3 simple steps and dinner will be on your table in an hour.
1. Prepare the vegetables
Peel the carrots and slice them in half lengthwise.
Scrub or peel the potatoes and slice each one in half as well.
Make a slice of lemon for each chicken drumstick. Be sure to reserve half the lemon to squeeze over all the sheet pan ingredients before roasting.
Easy peasy.
2. Compile your sheet pan
Place a piece of parchment paper over your roasting pan to make clean up much easier.
Scatter the lemon slices over your pan like this….
Top each lemon slice with the bulbous end of a chicken drumstick.
Then nestle the carrots and potatoes in around the chicken drumsticks.
Drizzle two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over top of the chicken and vegetables. And sprinkle everything with a three-finger pinch of each salt and black pepper.
Finally, squeeze the entire second half of lemon on top of the potatoes, carrots and chicken. Lay your rosemary sprigs on top of the vegetables and it’s ready for the oven!
3. Roast
Place the prepared baking sheet in an oven that’s preheated to 450 degrees F. Roast for 40 minutes, then check for doneness. If the chicken isn’t cooked through, give it another 10 minutes.
Chicken drumsticks are done cooking when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Plunge a meat thermometer into the meaty part of the drumstick to check. Visually, the chicken will start to pull back from the bottom of the leg bone when it’s done.
For more easy dinner recipes consider my grass-fed ground beef and summer squash skillet and hamburger and macaroni.
What to Do with Left Overs and Reheating
Store left overs in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, put in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
But I’ll be honest, this roasted chicken and potatoes recipe is best enjoyed fresh from the oven. Roasted vegetables don’t make great left overs.
Scaling Up to Serve More People
Wondering how to make a sheet pan dinner for a family of four? If you’re serving a whole family of more than two people you’ll need to use two separate sheet pans rather than one and double the recipe.
For best results, it’s very important that all the ingredients fit in a single layer on your pan. Do not be tempted to just pile more ingredients in the same baking dish.
Both sheet pans can roast together in the oven, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Two sheet pans will take longer to roast than just one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my drumsticks not crispy?
This recipe will get the skin of your drumsticks a little crispy, but ultimately you need high and dry heat to get that golden brown crispy skin. To achieve this, and avoid burning the potatoes and carrots, remove the chicken drumsticks from the pan and put them under the broiler.
What’s the difference between a chicken drumstick and a chicken leg?
A chicken leg includes both the thigh and the calf part of the leg. The calf part is what we call the drumstick. That said, the term chicken leg is often used (incorrectly) to refer to the drumstick.
Easy One Pan Lemon Chicken Drumsticks and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large carrots or enough for 2 servings
- 3 medium potatoes or enough for 2 servings
- 1 large lemon
- 1.5 lbs chicken drumsticks
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 4 large rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Peel the carrots and slice them in half lengthwise.Scrub or peel the potatoes and slice each one in half as well.Make a slice of lemon for each chicken drumstick. Be sure to reserve half the lemon to squeeze over all the sheet pan ingredients before roasting.
- Place a piece of parchment paper over your roasting pan to make clean up much easier. Scatter the lemon slices over your pan.
- Top each lemon slice with the bulbous end of a chicken drumstick.
- Then nestle the carrots and potatoes in around the chicken drumsticks.
- Drizzle two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over top of the chicken and vegetables. And sprinkle everything with a three-finger pinch of each salt and black pepper.
- Squeeze the entire second half of lemon on top of the potatoes, carrots and chicken. Lay your rosemary sprigs on top of the vegetables.
- Roast for 40 minutes at 450 degrees F, then check for doneness. If the chicken isn’t cooked through, give it another 10 minutes.
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