Chef notes

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! A quick, easy sheet-pan chicken dinner is music to our ears, and this recipe is one of the most flavorful ones we’ve tasted in a long time. With just ten ingredients, this recipe is not complicated. It’s all about what you do with the simple ingredients on the sheet pan.

Ramps have a fleeting season in the spring. They are characterized by their garlicky flavor, and we love to use them instead of onions, scallions and other alliums when they are at their peak. For this recipe, we mince the bulbs (the root ends) of the ramps and use them in a vinaigrette. Along with apple cider vinegar and whole-grain mustard, the sharp flavor of the ramps comes through as a finishing note in the dressing, which is drizzled over the chicken and other ingredients.

The ramp tops are a little more bitter than the bulbs. Unlike scallions, the tops are broad and fan out like leaves. When cooked, their flavor mellows out and becomes less astringent. The leaves roast on the sheet pan along with some skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks. The chicken is seasoned with a sprinkle of dried oregano and as they roast, the drippings flavor the ramps, as well as smashed garlic cloves and thin slices of lemon.

After their turn in the oven, the garlic becomes soft and spreadable and the lemon slices are sweet enough to eat as is. The chicken skin gets pretty crisp on its own, but if you want it extra golden, pop the meat under the broiler for a minute or two. Serve this dish with crusty bread, rice or anything else that can sop up all of those savory juices.

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Ingredients

For the Roast Chicken

2½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, preferably thighs or drumsticks
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 lemon, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bunch ramps or scallions, ends trimmed and thin film removed
bread, rice or lightly oiled pasta, for serving

For the Ramp Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons old-style whole-grain mustard
2-3 ramp bulbs, minced, leaves reserved

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Preparation

For the chicken:

Heat the oven to 425 F.

Pat the chicken dry and coat with 2 tablespoons oil, then season well with salt, pepper and oregano. Add the lemon slices and smashed garlic, rubbing them in the pan oil. Cook for 15 minutes.

Rub the ramps all over with the remaining tablespoon of oil, including the leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Add to the sheet pan (it will look crowded because of the leaves, but they will shrink down) and cook until the chicken juices run clear when pierced with a fork, 30 to 35 minutes. If you'd like the chicken skin to be crispier, scrape off the other ingredients and place the chicken under the broiler for 1 to 3 minutes.

For the dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and ramps, then slowly stream in the oil, whisking constantly, until smooth.

To serve:

Pour half of the dressing over the chicken and serve the remaining on the side. Serve with bread, rice or lightly oiled pasta.