Friday 11 September 2009

Recipe #5: Greek Chicken and Potatoes

One of the things about beginning a cooking adventure such as this one is that you need taste-testers!  Enthusiastic taste-testers make the experience all that more interesting, fun, and fulfilling.  Thankfully my husband is pretty much game for anything (with a few exceptions...fish included) and is extremely encouraging and appreciative.  And then there's my friend Ashli who is a total cheerleader - game to try anything, ready to get her hands dirty, and loves good food.  Having someone like that along for the beginning of this is so encouraging and really adds to the whole experience.  She's right on board and has contributed a few recipes passed on to her by her cousin.  This is one of them and we've "tested" it twice and it's a winner.  Easy, healthy - it's a great dish to cook put together, put in the oven and serve straight from the cooking dish accompanied by a simple salad.  The original recipe is found here but we've gone ahead and made a few minor adjustments to it.  The first time I cooked it I did do the "whole chicken" thing and cut it into its various parts.  It's pretty easy to do this but the breast meat was a bit dry after it was roasted so the next time we cooked it I just used thighs and drumsticks.  The meat was moist, fell off the bone and was very flavorful.
If using a whole chicken you will need to cut it into its various parts.  This was a first for me:



It proved to be pretty easy and buying a whole chicken is definitely more economical.


My poor little chicken before I'd had my way with it.  Once I removed the wings, breasts, thighs and drumsticks I put the carcass in the freezer to make stock with it at a later date.

Greek Chicken and Potatoes
(Printable Version)
  • 1 whole chicken (size according to the number of people you'll be serving) or assorted thighs and drumsticks with skin still on (allow approximately 2 pieces per person)
  • 10-20 mixed potatoes (red, yellow, white, the variety makes the dish really pretty)
  • 10-12 garlic cloves cut in half
  • 1 cup chicken broth (reduce to 1/4 - 1/2 cup of only cooking enough meet and potatoes for 2-3 people)
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 2-3 tablespoons dried oregano or Italian Seasoning
  • salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes.  Par-boil for about 5-8 minutes.  Remove and cut into wedges.  Place in large casserole dish.

If using a whole chicken, cut it into its various parts keeping the skin on.  Otherwise just place the pieces of meat in with the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Add the garlic clove halves, evenly distributing so they flavor the chicken and potatoes.  Pour the chicken broth on top.

Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and oregano.  Pour mixture over chicken and potatoes.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the chopped parsley.


Bake for about 45 minutes, spooning the liquids over the potatoes and chicken to prevent them from becoming dry.  Remove from oven when the potatoes are cooked through, the chicken is done and the skin has browned nicely.  Sprinkle with remainder of parsley and serve hot.  (DO note that the potatoes at this point are really hot and you'll need to let them cool a bit.)

Enjoy your weekend!  I will be back Monday with some Turkish köfte that I'm testing out tomorrow.   
© 2009 Rebecca Manor


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