07-05-2025
This Sheet-Pan Chicken Is the Perfect Dinner Recipe
The biggest (and possibly only) challenge of sheet-pan cooking is recovering the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. These caramelized juices and drippings from meats, fish and vegetables can add glorious complexity to any dish — if you can pry the baked-on puddles off the surface of the pan, that is. With a skillet, you simply deglaze it by adding some liquid and then simmering until the browned bits dissolve. But the low sides and way-bigger-than-a-burner width of a sheet pan can make that maneuver awkward.
In her recipe for sheet-pan malai chicken and potatoes, Zaynab Issa shows us how to do it right. By pouring liquid into a still-hot pan, she eliminates the need to simmer — she just gives everything a firm stir. Zaynab uses heavy cream and lemon to unlock the drippings, which are an especially savory mélange of warm spices, chicken fat and green chiles. Spooned over roasted, yogurt-marinated chicken thighs and soft potatoes, it makes a rich and silky sauce for this delightful, curry-inspired dish.
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