Spicy Marmalade Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
Updated March 2, 2026
Joseph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
- Total Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¼ cup marmalade, large peels chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
2 tablespoons fish sauce, coconut amino acids or Yondu
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 ½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (see Tip)
Salt
2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (you don’t have to peel them), cut into ¾-inch-thick pieces
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime, plus lime wedges for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
53 grams carbs; 278 milligrams cholesterol; 965 calories; 30 grams monosaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 61 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1242 milligrams sodium; 51 grams protein; 21 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk together marmalade, scallion whites, fish sauce, soy sauce and crushed red pepper.
- Step 2
Season chicken lightly with salt. Rub garlic all over the pieces and under the skin and add to the bowl, turning to coat them with the marinade. Let marinate while you prepare the potatoes (up to 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator).
- Step 3
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. If you like, you can line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup. The marmalade will probably scorch a little at the pan edges.
- Step 4
Put the sweet potatoes on the sheet pan and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Spread potatoes out in one layer and place in the oven. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Step 5
To the bowl with the chicken add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Grate the zest of the lime into the bowl, then halve the lime and squeeze one half of it in as well (save the remaining half for serving). Toss well.
- Step 6
Add chicken skin side up to the sheet pan, nestled among the sweet potatoes (but not on top of them; make sure the chicken is touching the pan). Spoon any extra sauce over everything. Roast, tossing the sweet potatoes once or twice, until chicken is cooked through and caramelized and the sweet potatoes are soft, 25 to 35 minutes longer. Taste and add more salt and lime juice if needed.
- Step 7
Top with scallions greens and serve.
Feel free to substitute skinless, boneless chicken thighs if you prefer; you’ll need 1¾ to 2 pounds.
Private Notes
Comments
Marmalades most commonly comprise about 60% sugar, some a significantly more, and some tarter brands a bit less. That's a high concentration of sugar. And sugar quickly scorches in high heat, so I was surprised to see the oven temp set at 425, But not surprised to hear of your chicken's black skin. When I make a chicken thigh rub that includes brown sugar, I never bake at above 325. This gives just the right amount of caramelization and crispiness for the time it takes to cook the chicken.
Wow, this was so very tasty! We use boneless-skinless thighs and reduced cooking time to 30 minutes. Then we put in under the broiler for 5 minutes to make things crispy. The squeeze of lime when serving is a perfect addition. I want to try adding some shallots or red onion next time because I think they would be great with sauce. The parchment paper got too wet. Foil or nothing next time. Thank you for another wonderful recipe Melissa Clark!
@Jim thank you for actually reviewing the recipe as drafted! I wish all comments were this helpful. It’s hard to find the valuable feedback in the midst of all the people rewriting a recipe they’ve never made.
I had Rose's lime marmalade on hand, so I switched to orange zest and juice instead of lime to balance the flavors. I used some baby potatoes instead of sweet potatoes. I went with 20 minutes at 375 degrees and 15-20 at 425, which achieved a nice crisp skin and tender meat.
Winner winner chicken dinner. Used boneless chicken thighs and a good British Seville orange marmalade which is a bit sweet/tart, Worried that it would burn based on some comments I added a little mayo to the marinade, would have tried plain yogurt if I've had it. Chicken was moist , sweet potatoes crispy, and everything was deliciois. I served with some broccolini for a nice contrast . This is a keeper. In fact it inspired me to set up a keepers box in NYT cooking, when you cook a lot like I do, it's easy to forget the things that you would want to make again,
Skin was good . Chicken was juicy but not thrilling . The sweet potatoes were amazing ! BTW I had no issues with ruining my sheet pan