Sheet-Pan Tarragon Chicken With Sherry Vinegar Onions

By Melissa Clark

Sheet-Pan Tarragon Chicken With Sherry Vinegar Onions
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour, plus 6 hours' marinating
Rating
5(2,634)
Comments
Read comments

Roasting chicken with tarragon is a classic combination, but here it’s given a twist. Instead of a whole bird, bone-in thighs are marinated in tarragon and garlic, then quickly roasted over a bed of sliced onions. As the chicken cooks, the fat renders, coating the onions, while the fragrant steam rising from the onions flavors the bird. It’s a succulent, easy and very flavorful dinner. If you’d rather use all white meat, substitute bone-in chicken breast halves, and start checking them after 20 minutes.

Featured in: This Herb Deserves Your Attention

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • ½cup finely chopped tarragon (leaves and tender stems), plus 4 whole sprigs
  • 2garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
  • 1½teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
  • ½teaspoon ground black pepper, more as needed
  • 3pounds bone-in chicken thighs (skin on)
  • 2large onions, peeled and sliced (about 4 cups)
  • 4thyme sprigs
  • Sherry vinegar, to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, stir together tarragon, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Add chicken thighs and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours, and up to overnight.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread onions out on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss well. Clear spaces on the baking pan, then place chicken pieces in the cleared spaces so the onions surround the chicken. Strew thyme and tarragon sprigs over onions and chicken.

  3. Step 3

    Roast, tossing the onions after 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the onions tender, 25 to 35 minutes. If the chicken skin or onions are not as brown as you’d like, run pan under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes at the end of cooking.

  4. Step 4

    Place chicken on a platter. Drizzle onions with sherry vinegar and more salt and pepper if needed. Spoon onions around the chicken and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,634 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Hopbell

I really wish food writers would stop writing "Marinate over night" as though you're going to cook it the next morning. A more precise way of writing would be to quantify the time in hours: 4, 6, 8,12 hours.

Carey Green

It's hotter on the top shelf and a good place to brown the chicken slowly without having to take the time to use the broiler later.

Cubicle Cook

I made this with only 15 minutes marinating time. I used 3 onions because they reduce in size during cooking. I added some sherry during cooking because the chicken thighs I had on hand were skinless, after I'd tossed everything. I didn't put the additional herbs in during cooking, I used them for fresh chopped garnish on the serving platter. I use tarragon often and liked how it worked with the sherry flavors. Next time I'll add some thinly sliced potatoes.

KT

Added 1 tablespoon Dijon and sherry, and two tablespoons of sherry vinegar to the marinade. Marinated overnight. Added thinly sliced potatoes to the onions. The chicken cooked a bit quicker than the onions and potatoes. Delicious!

L

Add a couple of Tbs of dijon mustard (tarragon flavored if you have it), 1/2 t. red pepper flakes, 6 garlic cloves, and added the sherry vinegar to the marinade. I also used Vidalia onions which ended up very sweet and caramelized. I will use 3-4 onions next time. Finally, I cooked using convection bake at 400 degrees then a few minutes under the broiler at the end.

Carol

Lesson learned - parchment paper liner does not work! It took more than twice as long for the chicken to reach temperature and the chicken and onions essentially stewed. I tried it subsequently without the parchment and the chicken crisped, the onions carmelized and the everything was as intended. And delicious. And the pan was easy to clean.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.