Veracruz sauce belongs on fish. At least that is what I thought until Martha Stewart baked chicken thighs on top of it with fire-roasted tomatoes, Castelvetrano olives, shallots, oregano, and a pinch of cinnamon in a 450 degree oven for about 25 minutes.
Martha Stewart’s Baked Chicken Veracruz is a one-dish dinner with thinly sliced potatoes shingled on the bottom that turn golden and crispy before everything else layers on top. I make this on weeknights when I want a full meal from one baking dish and nothing else.
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Why Do The Potatoes Go In First
You slice red potatoes thin, toss them with oil, and shingle them across the bottom of the baking dish. They bake alone at 450 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges start turning golden.
Then everything else piles on top of that crispy potato base. The tomato sauce, olives, shallots, and chicken all sit on those potatoes and as everything bakes together the potatoes soak up the juices from above while staying crisp underneath.
Baked Chicken Veracruz Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 12 ounces medium red potatoes, very thinly sliced (2 cups)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 can (14 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 4 oregano sprigs
- 1 cup pitted and halved green olives, such as Castelvetrano
- 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
How To Make Martha Stewart Baked Chicken Veracruz
- Prep and bake the potatoes: Set the oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the upper third. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Toss the sliced potatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, season, and shingle them in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until just tender with golden edges, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Build the Veracruz layer: Stir together the tomatoes, cinnamon, and chopped oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the potatoes and scatter the olives, shallots, and oregano sprigs on top.
- Add the chicken and bake: Lay the chicken thighs skin-side up over everything and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake until the skin is browned and crisp and a thermometer in the thickest part reads 165 degrees, about 25 minutes. Serve straight from the dish.
Why Does This Have Cinnamon
An eighth of a teaspoon sounds like nothing and you will not taste cinnamon in the finished dish. What it does is round out the acidity of the fire-roasted tomatoes and make the whole sauce feel warmer without adding heat.
I left it out once to see if it mattered and the sauce tasted sharper and flatter. It is the kind of ingredient you only notice when it is missing.
Do You Even Need A Side Dish
The potatoes are already in the dish so this is protein, starch, and sauce all in one pan. I usually just put white rice on the table to soak up whatever sauce is left at the bottom.
A bowl of guacamole with chips before dinner keeps people busy while this bakes. Or a simple cucumber salad if you want something cool next to all that hot tomato and olive.
How Does It Taste The Next Day
The potatoes absorb the tomato sauce overnight and turn soft and almost creamy. The crispy edges are gone but the flavor is deeper because everything has had time to sit together.
Reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. The skin will not re-crisp but the thighs stay juicy because of all that sauce underneath protecting them.
FAQs
- Can I use boneless thighs? They work but they cook faster and you lose the crispy skin. Check them at 15 minutes instead of 25 and pull them as soon as they hit 165 degrees.
- What are Castelvetrano olives? They are mild, buttery green olives from Sicily. Martha uses them here and in several other chicken recipes because they add salt without the sharpness of Kalamata. You can find them at most grocery stores near the olive bar.
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Nutrition Facts
(1 serving, serves 4)
- Calories: 520
- Total Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Cholesterol: 165mg
- Sodium: 680mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 24g
- Protein: 38g
Martha Stewart Baked Chicken Veracruz Recipe
Description
Veracruz sauce belongs on fish. At least that is what I thought until Martha Stewart baked chicken thighs on top of it with fire-roasted tomatoes, Castelvetrano olives, shallots, oregano, and a pinch of cinnamon in a 450 degree oven for about 25 minutes.
Martha Stewart’s Baked Chicken Veracruz is a one-dish dinner with thinly sliced potatoes shingled on the bottom that turn golden and crispy before everything else layers on top. I make this on weeknights when I want a full meal from one baking dish and nothing else.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prep and bake the potatoes: Set the oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the upper third. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Toss the sliced potatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, season, and shingle them in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until just tender with golden edges, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Build the Veracruz layer: Stir together the tomatoes, cinnamon, and chopped oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the potatoes and scatter the olives, shallots, and oregano sprigs on top.
- Add the chicken and bake: Lay the chicken thighs skin-side up over everything and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake until the skin is browned and crisp and a thermometer in the thickest part reads 165 degrees, about 25 minutes. Serve straight from the dish.
Notes
- Shingle the potatoes thin: They need to be thin enough to cook through in 10 to 15 minutes and crisp at the edges before the tomatoes go on.
- Do not skip the cinnamon: An eighth of a teaspoon is barely anything but it rounds out the tomato acidity and makes the whole sauce feel warmer.
- Upper third rack position: The high heat and high rack position are what crisp the chicken skin. Lower rack will leave it soft.