Italian Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

This Italian Chicken and Sweet Potatoes is the perfect dinner for the whole family. It takes a little over an hour to cook, but it’s simple to put together.

A Lovely Note from Teri

I’m not typically a one-pan meal kind of girl, but this is pretty close! It’s “one pot-ish.” I found this recipe is really just the most fabulous when you cook the rice separately and then combine it with the chicken and sweet potatoes. It’s just the most incredible dinner.

The vegetables and chicken cook in the same pot in the oven for over an hour, which means you get all of those lovely chicken juices injecting the vegetables with tons of flavor. Then you add the rice in at the end and it launches the dish into a whole new level of deliciousness. I just want to eat the rice and vegetables mix by the spoonful because it is that good.

This chicken and sweet potatoes recipe really is so heartwarming and feels like the perfect comfort food. You could certainly make it even easier by using bottled salad dressing for your marinade, but you know I love to do a homemade Teri version. And even though it takes a little bit to cook, you can just about set it and forget it, so it’s great for weeknight eating.

Ingredients

For the marinade:

• Fresh lemon juice
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Garlic clove, pressed or grated
• Dried oregano
• Kosher salt
• Dijon mustard
• Ground black pepper

For the dish:

• Carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• Celery stalks, sliced
• Red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
• White or yellow onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sweet potato, peeled and cut in bite-size pieces
• Uncooked rice

Variations

I love using a whole chicken for this recipe so everyone can get the piece they love, but you could also buy bone-in, skin on chicken thighs and chicken breasts to use instead.

I used white rice for this recipe, but you could use cauliflower rice instead.

How to Make Italian Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

Make Marinade and Season Vegetables

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a medium bowl, add the lemon juice and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add the vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, mustard, and pepper, stirring well.

Place chicken in a bowl or dish and pour half of the marinade over the chicken. Set aside the remaining dressing and allow chicken to marinate while you prep the veggies. Place the chopped vegetables in a Dutch oven and thoroughly season with salt.

Combine in a Dutch Oven

Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, skin-side up and pour the marinade the chicken was in over the meat and vegetables. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and roast uncovered in the oven for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the rice per package instructions in another pot and keep covered when done.

After the chicken has been in the oven for an hour, remove the pan from the oven and baste the chicken with the pan juices, and return the uncovered pan to the oven and raise the oven temperature to 425F to ensure browning and roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven to a plate to rest and set aside.

Give the remaining vegetables in the Dutch oven a stir, and return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes or so until the potatoes are soft if needed.  

When the potatoes are soft and cooked through, remove the pan from the oven and add the cooked rice. Add the reserved marinade to the pot and give it a good stir to break the potatoes up into the rice and warm up the rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place the chicken on top of the vegetables and rice, and enjoy!

Storage and Reheating

Store chicken and sweet potatoes mix separately in the fridge in airtight containers for up to four days. Reheat sweet potatoes and rice mixture on the stove on low to medium heat or in the microwave if you have one. You can reheat the chicken in the oven but I find reheated chicken is not quite as delicious so I will typically eat it without reheating.

Check Out These Other Roasted Chicken Recipes

• Grapefruit Roasted Chicken
• Sesame Marinated Roast Chicken
• Clementine Sumac Roasted Chicken
• Sizzling Everyday Roast Chicken Breasts

If you make your own Italian Chicken and Sweet Potatoes, be sure to review it below and let me know what you think! If you’re looking for more inspiration, subscribe to my Substack, and follow along on Pinterest,  Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!

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