Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs

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Full of flavor these Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs are made into a full sheet pan meal with some added potatoes and green beans. It’s easy to make, and these classic flavors are popular with everyone, making this extra family-friendly for weeknight dinners. It’s also naturally gluten-free as well which is an extra bonus. Be sure to check out the recipe notes for my dairy-free option which might just become your new favorite.

Garlic Butter Chicken with roasted potatoes and green beans on a gold baking sheet.

Is there ever a time when garlic butter isn’t welcome? Probably not, and this classic combo is very tasty over chicken thighs as well. And since I like to keep things simple around here, I turned those chicken thighs into a sheet pan meal. One and done with this easy-to-make dinner!

So grab your biggest sheet pan and let’s get cooking. You’ll need just 6 ingredients for this wonder of a meal, and a few minutes of prep work. The oven does the rest for you while you clean up and go about your day. This truly is my favorite comfort food sheet pan dinner for a busy weeknight.

Two Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs with roasted potatoes and green beans.

Watch how to make Garlic Butter Chicken

Ingredients & Substitutions

Chicken thighs, potatoes, green beans, garlic, butter, and rosemary on a wooden cutting board.
  • Chicken thighs – bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs are what I’m using here because they have a similar cooking time to the potatoes. You can use boneless skinless but be careful not to overcook them. I would partially roast the potatoes before adding boneless chicken. Boneless skinless chicken breasts take around 20-25 minutes and chicken thighs take around 15-20.
  • Potatoes – make this a full meal, but you can use sweet potatoes as well. Yukon gold potatoes have the best browning and roasted texture. You can also use russet or red potatoes as well, but Yukons are definitely the best. Or omit the potatoes for a low-carb version, and add more green beans at the end if you want to serve this chicken with a different side dish.
  • Green beans – are perfect to slide in towards the end of the cooking time. Broccoli works as well but it takes up more space and things get crowded.
  • Butter or Ghee – for the garlic butter of course, but you can use olive oil for dairy-free. Or my absolute favorite option for dairy-free is leftover bacon grease – so good!
  • Garlic – fresh is best here and you can use a garlic press to help speed things up. I don’t recommend the jarred garlic, instead try garlic powder which has a better flavor.
  • Herbs – rosemary and thyme are my top 2 choices for fresh herbs here. For dried I like either Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence.

How to make this recipe step by step

Melted butter in a saucepan with garlic and herbs added.

Step 1: Start by melting the butter, then add the garlic and your choice of herbs to the mix.

Diced up potatoes on a wooden cutting board.

Step 2: Next dice up the potatoes. I used Yukon golds here, but red, russet, or any potato you like works here. I cut them into 1″ cubes because that’s the right size to match the cooking time of the chicken thighs.

Diced potatoes and chicken thighs on a cookie sheet.

Step 3: Place the cubed potatoes and chicken thighs onto a large baking sheet.

Chicken thighs and potatoes with garlic butter over the top on a cookie sheet.

Step 4: Stir the salt and pepper into the garlic butter and evenly drizzle it over the potatoes and chicken. Toss the cubed potatoes around a bit to coat them in the mixture, then bake until almost done.

Finished Garlic Butter Chicken with potatoes and green beans on a cookie sheet.

Step 5: Add the green beans near the end of the cooking time and cook just until the beans are tender and the chicken is done.

Ways to serve this

FAQ’s

Can I use chicken breasts in place of the chicken thighs?

Yes, but you will need to adjust the cooking time. Boneless skinless chicken breasts take an average of 25 minutes to cook at 425ºF. So you’ll need to let the potatoes roast for 10-15 minutes before adding your chicken breasts.

Can I use boneless skinless chicken thighs?

Yes, but be careful not to overcook them! Boneless skinless chicken thighs cook on average in about 15 minutes at 425ºF so you’ll want to add them about 5 minutes before you add the green beans.

Storing leftovers

  • To store – place in a sealed container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
  • To reheat – place in a small skillet with a touch of water. Then cover and reheat over low heat simmering until the water is gone. Uncover and eat when heated through. This helps the potatoes to rehydrate as well, they will get crumbly/chalky in the refrigerator. Or you can microwave.
  • To freeze – I don’t recommend freezing the veggies because they won’t retain their texture. But the chicken thighs can be frozen in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat as directed above.

Tips & Tricks

  • Make sure to keep an eye on this sheet pan dinner towards the end of the cooking time so it doesn’t brown too much. Some ovens heat more from the top and others heat more from the bottom. So monitor to see what’s happening as the potatoes roast, and after the green beans go in!
  • Definitely try all the different herbs, you can’t go wrong with any of the options! We love rosemary so it’s become our go-to, but the others are great variations.
Close up view of Garlic Butter Chicken on a gold sheet pan.

I really hope you enjoy this recipe for Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs sheet pan dinner! If you do get a chance to make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Finished Garlic Butter Chicken with potatoes and green beans on a cookie sheet.

Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs


5 from 6 votes
Author: Kari Peters
Total Time 50 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Course: Dinner

INGREDIENTS  

  • 4 chicken thighs - bone in skin on, 2 pounds
  • 4 tbsp ghee - salted butter, or olive oil for dairy-free
  • 2 cloves garlic - minced
  • 2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary or thyme - or 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp sea salt - or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes - cut into 1″ cubes, 4 cups
  • 1 pound frozen or fresh green beans - thawed

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF. If your green beans aren't thawed, take them out now and let them sit at room temperature. They will need an extra 5 minutes or so cooking time.
  • Melt the ghee or butter over medium heat, then mix together with the garlic, rosemary, sea salt and pepper.
  • Place the cubed potatoes onto a large cookie sheet, (17"x12") then add the 4 chicken thighs.
  • Drizzle the chicken and potatoes with 3/4 of the garlic butter sauce. Toss the potatoes around just to coat them. Then in a separate bowl, toss the thawed green beans together with the remaining garlic butter and set them aside.
  • Bake the chicken and potatoes until mostly done, 25 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450ºF. 
  • With a spatula, scoot the potatoes and chicken together into the center to make room for the green beans. Add 1/2 of the green beans to one side of the baking sheet and the remaining half on the other side.
  • Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is done in the center and the green beans are tender. The internal temperature should reach 170ºF on a thermometer. Serve immediately.
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NOTES

For a tasty dairy free option, try bacon grease in place of the olive oil!
Serve with a lemon slices for squeezing over the top for a lemon garlic butter chicken thighs variation. The lemon juice is also tasty over the potatoes and green beans.
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keywords: Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner, Chicken with potatoes and green beans, Garlic Butter Chicken, Garlic Butter Chicken and potatoes

nutrition facts

Calories: 574kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 707mg | Potassium: 1029mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 928IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 3mg
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8 thoughts on “Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs”

  1. 5 stars
    This is an easy and delicious meal! I’m dairy free so I used olive oil instead of the ghee. So glad I found this recipe. Everyone in the family loves it!

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    Excellent, didn’t have fresh garlic on hand & used powdered garlic apron 3/4 tsp instead. Everyone raved about it! Keeping this in the rotation!

    Reply

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