Wild garlic chicken baked with potatoes, white wine, and stock. An easy spring dinner made with fresh wild garlic, juicy chicken, and soft potatoes, all cooked in one pan.
This wild garlic chicken is one of the dishes I make every spring as soon as wild garlic is in season. It's baked with potatoes, a little white wine, and stock, all in one pan.
Wild garlic is a big thing here in Germany. There are several spots around my village where it grows, and I've been picking it every April for about 20 years now. I usually keep things simple, and this is one of those recipes I come back to every year.
If you have more on hand, you can also check my ideas on What To Do With Wild Garlic or try something like Wild Garlic Butter, Wild Garlic Soup, or Wild Garlic Bread.
This recipe was inspired by a dish from Home Cooked - Recipes from the Farm by Kate Humble.
Ingredients: 6 + oil, salt & pepper | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour | Servings: 4 | Difficulty: Easy
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Recipe ingredients
Chicken: I usually use chicken quarters, as they are easy to find here. You can also use 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks.
Pesto: Wild garlic pesto is best here, but regular pesto works as well. If you need it, you can make your own Wild Garlic Pesto - I love any kind of pesto, but this one is the best there is.
Potatoes: I like using small waxy potatoes, like fingerling potatoes. If you use regular potatoes, peel them and cut them into wedges or thick slices, not too large.
Wild garlic: Freshly picked or from the grocery store. Try more wild garlic mains like the Wild Garlic Risotto or the Wild Garlic Pasta.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make wild garlic chicken?
Step #1: Wash and cut the potatoes, place them in the roasting pan, and toss them with a bit of oil, salt, and pepper.
Step #2: Clean the wild garlic and push it into the pan between the potatoes. Add wine and stock.
Step #3: Dry the chicken pieces and trim any excess loose skin from the underside of the thighs. Season well all over. Spread the pesto on the fleshy side of the thighs (not on the skin).
Step #4: Place the chicken legs on the potatoes.
Step #5: Bake for about 1 hour until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender.
Step #6: Let rest for 5-10 minutes and serve.
Tips
Wild garlic cooking: Make sure to push the leaves down into the liquid from time to time. If they stay exposed, they can dry out and become papery.
Chicken parts: You can use 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks instead of 4 quarters. These smaller pieces might be ready a bit sooner, so it's a good idea to check earlier and remove them if needed while the potatoes finish cooking.
Check the chicken's internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer; it should be 165°F/74°C.
Storage
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at a low temperature until hot. You can add a splash of stock or water to keep everything from drying out.
You can freeze the chicken leftovers, but I don't recommend freezing the potatoes or the wild garlic.
Serving suggestions
- Serve with a simple green salad with Yogurt Dressing or Cucumber Salad with Oil and Vinegar.
- Try it with a side of bread - Yogurt Soda Bread, for instance - to soak up the sauce.
Wild Garlic Chicken
Equipment
- Roasting pan large enough to hold the chicken parts in a single layer
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs potatoes Note 1
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 handfuls wild garlic about 3.5 oz / 100 g
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 4 chicken quarters or 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks, Note 2
- 2 tablespoons pesto Note 3
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
- Prepare the potatoes: Scrub the potatoes well. Halve or quarter them, depending on size, and place them in a roasting pan. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper.1.5 lbs potatoes + 1 tablespoon olive oil + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- Prepare the wild garlic: Wash and pat dry. If the leaves are large, tear them into smaller pieces. Scatter them among the potatoes. It will seem like a lot, but the leaves will shrink as they cook.2 handfuls wild garlic
- Add the liquids: Pour the wine and chicken stock into one side of the pan, so the seasoning on the potatoes stays in place.½ cup dry white wine + 1 cup chicken stock
- Prepare the chicken: Pat the chicken pieces dry and season well with salt and pepper. Trim any excess loose skin from the underside. Spread the pesto on the underside of the chicken (on the flesh, not the skin). Place the pieces skin-side up over the potatoes. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.4 chicken quarters + 2 tablespoons pesto + ½ tablespoon olive oil
- Bake for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender. During baking, push the wild garlic down into the potatoes and liquid once or twice so it doesn't dry out.
- Check doneness: The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F/ 74°C. If the chicken is done but the potatoes are not, remove the chicken, keep it warm, and continue baking the potatoes for another 10 minutes or until tender.
- Rest and serve: Let rest for 5-10 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- Potatoes: I used small fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and cut in halves or quarters. You can also use regular potatoes. Peel them and cut into wedges or thick slices, not too large.
- Chicken: Chicken quarters work very well and are easy to find in Germany. You can also use 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks. In that case, check a bit earlier if the meat is done.
- Pesto: Wild garlic pesto is ideal here. If you don't have it, regular pesto works fine.
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