Roasted chicken and Greek potatoes

The best roast chicken and Greek-style potatoes full of lemon flavour and roasted to perfection.

Pssst…want to know a secret?  We were really apprehensive about tackling this meal.   You see, our parents’ chicken and potatoes are epic. They get requests from all over the world lots of people for their recipe and they are really happy to tell anyone who asks, including us,  how it’s done.  They say something along the lines of ‘take a chicken, add some potatoes to the roasting pan, pour in some lemon juice, olive oil, oregano and bake it all for a few hours’.  Easy, right?  So, we try, and it tastes good…but not phenomenal.  Not mind-blowing delicious, like theirs is.  Not let-me-tell-anyone-who-will-listen scrumptious, like theirs is.  Not taste-bud-shockingly fabulous, like theirs is.  “Why?”, we wondered.  We did what they told us to, so how to explain the difference between their phenomenal chicken and potatoes, and our pretty good chicken and potatoes?  For a while we actually started to wonder if perhaps our parents were magic. Magic would explain everything! But then we watched them in action, took detailed notes, measured and counted, studied their every step and finally we were able to reproduce their roasted chicken and Greek potatoes ourselves, in our very own kitchens! Hourray!  We were once again amazed that such simple ingredients could produce something so marvellous…and so we thought, maybe magic is hereditary!?

We’re really looking forward to you trying this recipe for yourselves. Let us know if you end up with what may be the best roasted chicken and Greek potatoes you have ever had.

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Greek roast chicken with potatoes recipe

Helpful hints:

Once again the basic ingredients in this recipe are just that – basic.  Therefore, one key to success is to use the highest quality products you can get your hands on.  That means an organic, farm-raised chicken, excellent Greek olive oil, fresh lemons and good quality potatoes.

Our parents are wise and don’t wash their chicken before cooking it.  You should listen to our parents. If you still need some convincing as to why you should never wash raw poultry read this (and watch the short video…it’s cute, and horrifying).

We’re not quite sure if the roasting pan that our parents (and we) use for this meal impacts the flavour at all, but it might.  This recipe was made using a round metal roasting pan, kept uncovered at all times.

Some of the techniques used by our parents would probably not receive a celebrity-chef stamp of approval.  For example, they flip their chicken over part way through the cooking process.  Having read many, many cookbooks and watched many, many cooking shows, we are pretty sure this is unusual.  But that’s the way they do it, so that’s the way we have described it.

If you are the one serving this meal keep in mind that the slightly burnt, stuck-to-the-sides-of-the-pan potatoes are usually the most delicious.  Give those to your favourite child, or save them for yourself…we won’t tell.

Greek roast chicken with potatoes recipe

One of the most common concerns people have when roasting a whole chicken is making sure that it is fully, and safely, cooked.  There are a couple of ways to ensure that your chicken is safe to eat.  The most reliable way is to use a meat thermometer and to insert it into the thickest part of the meat (being careful not to hit bone).  Whole chicken is done when, at the thickest part of breast or thigh it has reached an internal temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit (or 82 degrees Celsius).  If you don’t have a meat thermometer (Christmas is coming…time to update your list) pierce the chicken near the thigh.  The juices should run clear and not be pink-tinged or bloody.  For more information about chicken cooking times, you can consult the poultry safety information posted on the Government of Canada’s website (link here).

Greek roast chicken with potatoes recipe

 

The best roast chicken and Greek-style potatoes full of lemon flavour and roasted to perfection.

Roast chicken and Greek-style potatoes

The best Greek style roast chicken and roasted lemon potatoes!
5 from 19 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Mia Kouppa

Equipment

  • Roasting pan

Ingredients

For the potatoes

  • 10-12 medium yellow fleshed potatoes peeled and cut into quarter wedges
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp Greek dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups combination of olive oil and vegetable oil we use 3/4 cup (180 mL) olive oil; and 3/4 cup (180mL) vegetable oil
  • 1 medium carrot peeled, and cut into chunks

For the chicken

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Greek dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

For the potatoes:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • In a mixing bowl combine the potatoes, lemon juice, greek oregano, pepper, salt, and oils. Mix well to coat the potatoes evenly.
    1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp Greek dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups combination of olive oil and vegetable oil, 10-12 medium yellow fleshed potatoes
  • Pour the potatoes and all of the oil/lemon juice mixture into a large metal roasting pan, keeping potatoes on the periphery (you will place the chicken in the center of the pan).
  • Scatter carrot chunks on top of potatoes.
    1 medium carrot

For the chicken:

  • Remove any excess fat or loose skin from the chicken and discard.
    1 whole chicken
  • Squeeze the juice of half a lemon all over chicken.
    1/2 lemon
  • Salt the chicken on all sides, and inside the cavity.
    1 teaspoon salt
  • Sprinkle the greek oregano and pepper on all sides of the chicken.
    1 teaspoon Greek dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Place chicken, breast side up, in the center of the roasting pan (surrounded by the potatoes and carrots).
  • Place roasting pan in lower rack of oven.
  • Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove roasting pan from oven, carefully stir the potatoes around (if some of them have stuck to the sides of the pan, don’t worry. Those crisp, browned pieces are delicious). If you notice that your pan seems a bit dry, add some more oil (you can use olive or canola oil) to the pan.
  • Sprinkle 1 teaspoon paprika over chicken and potatoes. Turn chicken over and baste the potatoes from the juices from the pan.  Return the pan to oven, breast side down. Continue baking for an additional 30 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit (82 degrees Celsius). The potatoes will be done at this point as well, golden and slightly crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
    1 teaspoon paprika
  • Enjoy!

Notes

We use a 15 inch round roasting pan, use less oil if your pan is smaller.



Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Thanks for sharing!

13 Comments

  1. jennybwilde says:

    This recipe sounds so good! In all my years of cooking, I have never heard of Greek oregano and will look for it when I shop today. Which brand of olive oil do you recommend? Your blog is magic – keep up the good work! 😉

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thank you so much! Glad you are enjoying it 😉

    2. miakouppa says:

      Hi Jenny! Sorry my entire message didn’t send. Greek oregano is found in most Mediterranean grocers or well stocked markets. It is true oregano…often times, if you purchase wild oregano or just plain oregano you may be getting marjoram (which is much less flavourful). If you can’t find Greek oregano, just use any oregano you find. As for the olive oil, we are fortunate enough to get olive oil sent to us from our family in Greece that have olive groves. However, any good quality Greek olive oil (extra virgin) would be fantastic. I know that in the city where we live there are small local importers from Greece that I would buy from directly if needed. Maybe you have that option where you are too!

  2. Loved your recipe!!! Keep ’em coming 🙂

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thank you Maria! Glad you are enjoying them 🙂

  3. lithuanianintheusa says:

    Looks sooo good! 🙂 Want to try it soon 🙂

    1. miakouppa says:

      Awesome!! Let us know how it turns out

  4. Hi, I made this recipe yesterday evening but with 1/2 of everything. My husband got involved – he never does – a winner of a recipe that I will make again and again and again. Thank you.

    1. miakouppa says:

      Yeah! Super glad! It is a winner of a recipe that’s for sure! … and the fact that your husband got involved…bonus!

  5. I made this today with a pork roast! Delicious! However just a tad bit too oily for me. Will cut back on the oil next time. Potatoes were sooo decadent!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Hi Nicole. Glad you like the dish! I wonder if the substitution of a pork roast instead of chicken caused the meal to be too oily (if the pork roast released more fat than a chicken would). Possibly, although it is true that there is a significant amount of oil here. But, those potatoes!! 🙂 🙂

  6. Kristina Dallas says:

    Your comments at the beginning are spot on. I now know why my potatoes were never as good as my mom’s and Thea’s. I wasn’t using nearly enough lemon! Made this the other night and it was incredible. Now immortalized in our family cookbook! Thank you for this!5 stars

    1. miakouppa says:

      Yay! So happy to hear this Kristina! Thank you for taking the time to comment. We were equally surprised when we started to cook with our parents, to see how much lemon juice, olive oil and other ingredients they were using in their cooking. Makes all the difference. Hope you find much more to love here with us 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie

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