As much as I enjoy a steak, I try to limit how much red meat I eat during the week. I love vegetarian meals but since my husband can't go full vegetarian, we stick to chicken and seafood. Chicken is great and all but it can get boring. I'm constantly searching for new chicken recipes, trying to make the meals as exciting as possible. The latest creation is this roasted paprika chicken with olive walnut vinaigrette. It takes basic roasted chicken and adds spices and a fresh and tangy olive walnut dressing for a dinner that's anything but boring.
Paprika Chicken with Olive Walnut Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Paprika chicken
- 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 3 sprigs thyme
Olive walnut vinaigrette
- ½ cup castelvetrano olives sliced
- ½ cup toasted walnuts chopped
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- ¼ cup basil chopped
- 1 garlic minced
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar
- salt and pepper
Garlic parmesan roasted potatoes
- 2 lb baby golden potatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- Marinate chicken. Combine chicken thighs with olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, coriander, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and turmeric, tossing to coat. Let sit for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Meanwhile, make olive walnut vinaigrette. Combine sliced olives with chopped walnuts, parsley, basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and sherry vinegar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pour ½ cup chicken stock and 3 sprigs thyme in bottom of a sheet pan. Place marinated chicken directly on top and roast for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and the juices run clear. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, roast potatoes. Toss halved potatoes with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Lay on a sheet pan and roast for 30-35 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle parmesan on top and toss together.
- Arrange potatoes and chicken on a serving platter. Spoon olive walnut vinaigrette on top and serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
This paprika chicken with olive walnut vinaigrette is a fairly simple meal to prepare. Marinate the chicken, roast it, and make a sauce. The garlic parmesan roasted potatoes are optional but go perfectly with the chicken.
Marinate bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or breasts with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, coriander, turmeric, salt, pepper, and a generous amount of paprika. You can also use boneless chicken but bone-in skin yields much juicier chicken.
Let the chicken marinate for at least one hour or overnight.
Meanwhile, make the olive walnut vinaigrette. Coarsely chop toasted walnuts and combine them with sliced olives, chopped herbs, olive oil, garlic, and sherry vinegar. You can also use a food processor to chop the ingredients if it makes it easier.
I chose castelvetrano olives for the vinaigrette because they're meaty, have a mild flavor, and have buttery flesh. You can substitute them for another olive such as kalamata or picholine if desired.
Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper and let it sit for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors marry. Feel free to make the vinaigrette the night before.
Now let's turn our attention back to the chicken. Pour ½ cup chicken stock in the bottom of a sheet pan and add the thyme sprigs. Place the chicken directly on top of the thyme and roast the chicken until the juices run clear.
Why do we add the chicken stock? I found that it helps cook the chicken more evenly since we're using bone-in chicken. It also keeps the meat especially juicy.
While the chicken is roasting, go ahead and roast the potatoes. Cut baby gold potatoes in half lengthwise and toss them in garlic powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown.
Once the potatoes are fork-tender, sprinkle grated parmesan and toss to combine.
Plate the roasted chicken and potatoes on a serving platter and top the chicken with the olive walnut vinaigrette. Serve the extra dressing on the side.
I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this paprika chicken with olive walnut vinaigrette. It's a step up from basic roasted chicken and the vinaigrette brings texture, acid, and freshness to the entire meal. A solid weeknight dinner!
For more chicken inspiration check out this roasted miso mushroom chicken!
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