greek roasted chicken & potatoes
Pictured left to write: a whole bird, her spatchcocked brethren, and four split chicken breasts. No matter the form, they all get potato beds.
where to find me
the greek week collection
the basics
— serves four
— takes 3ish hours (an hour to prep, an hour and a half to roast & rest)
the ingredients
— chicken | 1 whole (about 4-5 lbs), patted as dry as possible and refrigerated for a few hours to dry out further
You can also use 4 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts but I highlyyyy recommend using the full bird (you can do it, I promise)
— lemons | 2, cut in half
You’ll use the juice of one half lemon for the chicken marinade, then stuff the chicken with the other unused half. For the second lemon, you’ll char the two halves for serving. All you do is take a small pan over medium heat, put the lemons cut-side down, and let them sizzle away until they’re nice and charred.
— garlic head | 1
Ok here’s the deal with the garlic:
First, chop as many cloves as you need for whatever you’re cooking that night. For example, for the chicken & potatoes, chop one clove for the potatoes, three cloves for the chicken. Also check your other recipes for the day to make sure they don’t need garlic. For example, if you’re making greek dressing, make sure to chop one clove for that.
Once you’ve done all your mincing, cut the rest of the garlic head in half lengthwise. You’ll use those halves to stuff the chicken
— thyme | 1 big bunch
Mince 2 tbs for the chicken & 1 tbs for the potatoes, then leave the rest on the sprigs
— dried oregano | 1 tbs for the chicken & 1 tbs for the potatoes
— butter | 1/4 cup (1/2 stick), melted
— olive oil | 1/4 cup for the chicken and 2 tbs for the potatoes
— white wine | 1/4 cup and glass for you
Actually though, wait to drink until after you’ve minced all your garlic cause that’s a lot of knife work and I don't need someone with stitches on my hands.
— russet potatoes | 4, thinly sliced into rounds
— salt & pepper | 2 tsp each for the chicken & 1/2 tsp each for the potatoes
— sheep’s milk feta cheese | 1/2 cup, crumbled
chicken adapted from Cafe Delites
the process
— preheat oven to 425
— in a roasting pan or big ass baking dish, toss the potatoes with 2 tbs olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper, 1 tbs thyme, and 1 tbs oregano, then lay them out evenly in the bottom of the pan
— in a small bowl, combine the melted butter, juice of half a lemon, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup wine, 2 tbs thyme, 1 tbs oregano, 2 tsp each salt & pepper
— now, take a breath. It’s time to marinate & stuff your bird
Here’s how it goes:
— Set the stage by gathering the unused half lemon, the bunch of thyme, the halved garlic head, and a piece of kitchen twine. If you don’t have twine and aren't into having that be a thing you own cause who owns twine (I do, I own twine), you can also spatchcock it
— If you do spatchcock it or are using 4 split breasts, move the potatoes toward the edges of your pan, slice up the half lemon, and lay the chicken on top of the lemon slices, garlic, and thyme
— If you kept her whole, put the bird on the roasting rack of your pan or in the middle of the baking dish on top of the potatoes
— No matter the form of your chicken, gently pull the chicken skin away from the meat (yes, it’s v intimate), and then pour your marinade all up in there. You want to fully bathe the bird, inside and out, and then pour any extra marinade over the potatoes. It’ll all be nice n saucy
— If you chose to roast the whole bird, it’s time to stuff it. Take your half lemon, thyme, and garlic and put it up in there. Then, with the breast side up, tie up the legs with twine. Finally, wash! your! hands!
— once you’ve congratulated yourself, throw her in the oven and roast for 15 minutes
— turn the heat down to 350 and roast for about an hour and a half or until the internal temp of the breast reaches 165 or the breast meat is cooked through
— sprinkle the feta over the potatoes and allow the bird to rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes
— carve it up and serve with the charred lemon halves
notes
— gluten free
— to make dairy free, skip the feta and replace the butter in the marinade with more olive oil
