Colombian Sheet-Pan Sudado-Style Chicken and Potatoes

About This Recipe

Pollo sudado, literally 'sweated chicken,' is a Colombian home-cooking staple where chicken pieces slowly cook down with onion, tomato and achiote until the sauce thickens and clings to the meat. This traybake takes that seasoning base and moves it into the oven so the chicken skin crisps while potatoes roast in the same juices. The key technique is building the sofrito layer directly on the pan before the chicken goes on top, so the vegetables braise in chicken fat and stock while the skin above stays dry enough to brown. That combination — braised base, crisp top — is what makes a traybake work. This isn't the traditional stovetop version, but it captures the same flavor profile in a format that needs one pan and barely any stirring.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8bone-in chicken thighs
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 1yellow onion(sliced)
• 1red bell pepper(sliced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspachiote powder or paprika
• 1.5 lbyellow potatoes(halved)
• 2tomatoes(diced)
• 2scallions(chopped)
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 0.5 cupchicken stock
• 0.5 cupcilantro(chopped, for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the chicken

   Pat the chicken thighs dry and rub with cumin, achiote, salt and pepper. Let sit while the oven heats to 425°F (220°C).

2. 2

   Build the sofrito base

   Toss onion, bell pepper, garlic and tomatoes with 2 tbsp oil directly on a large sheet pan and spread evenly.

3. 3

   Add chicken and potatoes

   Nestle chicken thighs skin-side up among the vegetables, scatter potatoes around, and drizzle with remaining oil and stock.

4. 4

   Roast until golden

   Roast 40-45 minutes, until the chicken skin is browned and crisp and potatoes are fork-tender, stirring vegetables once halfway.

5. 5

   Rest and finish

   Let the pan rest 5 minutes. Scatter scallions and cilantro over everything before serving straight from the pan.

   If chicken browns too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.

Variations

• •

  Swap thighs for drumsticks for a kid-friendly version.

• •

  Add sliced carrots or yuca alongside the potatoes for a heartier traybake.

• •

  Finish with a squeeze of lime instead of extra oil for a brighter dish.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven 10-12 minutes to keep the skin from going soggy.

Frequently Asked Questions