One Pot Greek Chicken and Potatoes
My One Pot Greek Chicken is full of bright lemony flavors and super tender potatoes. All made in one pot with maximum flavor and minimum clean-up! Ā Perfect for your weeknight meal!
Regardless how easy I make this whole cooking thing, sometimes after an entire day at work, 2 hours in traffic and several diaper changes, I am pooped (as are the diapers actually.) Ā Nonetheless, I still have the desire to jump in the kitchen and make something that fills my house with delicious smells and our bellies with warm goodness.
Nothing fills up the house with delicious smells as a chicken roasting away in the oven. For many years I attempted perfecting the art of the Greek chicken. I used every method I learned in culinary school but none did the chicken justice.
A couple of years ago I had a Greek hairdresser, Chrissy. Ā And as we were finishing up with my monthly coiffure, a smell of utter deliciousness permeated the air and sent me on a trail up the stairs and into the kitchen to discover the where and what abouts of this delicious smell. Ā Chrissy’s mom was making her family dinner for the night and it just so happened to be Greek chicken. Ā She of course let me eat her potatoes and a piece of chicken and I was hooked! Ā Chrissy’s mom was gracious enough to tell me the secret of her recipe…and it was one of the first times of many that I learned that sometimes the best kept secrets to recipes is the concept of simplicity.
This dish satisfies the appetite and best of all is a breeze to clean up after.
As far as the chicken goes, I always use bone-in, because the flavor is THAT much better. Ā I typically do only chicken thighs and drumsticks, but the chicken breasts end up tasting pretty darn good too. Ā This time around I actually only used thighs and they were fantastic!
The key to this recipe is the broasting. Ā Yes, BROASTING. Ā It’s a combination of roasting and braising. Ā And it is this combination that makes the chicken juicy and crispy and the potatoes filled with lemony, garlic goodness all the way through to the center. Ā For me the potatoes sometimes steal the show over the chicken. Ā They have a gorgeous yellow ring around them from the olive oil and lemon zest. Ā And the flavor ain’t bad either.
Greek Chicken and Potatoes Recipe
Place in the oven at 450-degrees for 30 minutes so the chicken can get crispy and golden brown. Ā Then drop the heat to 375 and pour in the chicken stock into the bottom of the pan, coming up to about halfway up the potatoes. Ā Continue cooking for another 30-45 minutes, adding more chicken stock as necessary so the bottom of the pan does not burn.
Crispy goodness…
Yup…this sure beats the neighborhood greasy Greek joint…
Greek Chicken and Potatoes
Description
My One Pot Greek Chicken is full of bright lemony flavors and super tender potatoes. All made in one pot with maximum flavor and minimum clean-up!
Ingredients
- 1 fryer chicken (cut up into pieces)
- 2 whole lemons (zested and juiced)
- 3 tablespoons of fresh oregano (chopped)
- 5 cloves of garlic (sliced)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 russet potaoes (peeled and cut into quarters)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients except the potatoes and the chicken stock into a ziplock bag and allow to marinade for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Place the potatoes and chicken pieces in the pan and cover them well with all the zest, lemon juice and oregano marinade. I also threw in the zested and juiced lemons in there. They make for a great presentation when they get caramelized in the oven
- I used a foil pan so that clean up was a breeze! You also want to make sure that the pan is big enough to give the potatoes room. They should not be crowded, or else they will not develop the right flavors.
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
- Place chicken and potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes. This will allow a nice crust to form on the chicken and give the potatoes a chance to brown up.
- After the 30 minutes, turn down the temperature to 375 degrees and pour in the chicken stock and let it go nice and slow. You may need to rotate the potatoes once in awhile to make sure that they are browning up and softening up on all sides.
- The point of the chicken stock is to partially braise the potatoes. The stock should come up about half-way up the potatoes. You want them to have a golden color, but still be nice and soft in the middle. If some of the liquid has evaporated, feel free to add more stock or water.
- The chicken will be done when the juices run clear. The potatoes sometimes take longer than the chicken. I took my chicken out after about an hour, the potatoes still cooked for 20 more minutes, just until they could easily be broken with a fork.
Notes
*The potatoes should look golden brown on the outside and when you break them in half they will be white in the center, and golden yellow all around the center! The yellow comes from the lemon and chicken juices. Sometimes when I really want to impress the guests, I add a bit of turmeric to the cooking liquid, it turns them a nice bright yellow and is a great trick for rice as well. People will think itās saffron!ā
- Category: Main Entree
***Originally posted Jan 20th 2014***
This sounds fantastic! I’m going to start the marinade right now for dinner tomorrow š
Lexi sounds fabulous! I can’t wait to hear all about it!
If using only bone in chicken breasts do not marinate 24 hours. The chicken gets “cooked” because of the acid in the lemons. Thighs may be a different story.
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Hi Joanna! You must have had some strong lemons!!! Iāve never had that experience before! But thank you for sharing!
What a great looking, simple and delicious one pot meal! Thanks for sharing the secret you’ve learned. Will definitely try the recipe!
Thank Lyubomira!!! I have been enjoying it for dinner!!! So yummy!
Lemony chicken is a dish that is cooked very often in all Greek homes here. There are several variations and each housewife has her own recipe and way of making it. This is a delicious tweak on a classic!
Katerina…I would love to see how you make yours! Love traditional international dishes!
This looks amazing Mila! We love a good crispy oven baked chicken and I’ve got such a craving for all things citrussy… Definitely pinning! Oh that crispy skin looks so good š
Thank you Dini!!! I am in love with this chicken honest! As is the munchkin actually! I love that EVEN the breasts stay nice and juicy! It’s one of my favorite winter pick me ups!
I love anything Greek, and I can almost smell this chicken broasting! Pinning!
Thank you Amy!!!! Yes I am a big fan of Greek food done right as well! Thanks for the love!
I made this last night, and it was DELICIOUS! I made a couple slight changes because of what I had on hand: used two large sweet potatoes and one regular russet. I loved it with both kinds. I also substituted white wine for the water in the marinade which I found was also a good decision (though maybe not true to the traditional recipe). I will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Yay!!! So glad it worked out for you! Again we substitute as we see fit š that’s the beauty of cooking…I only try and teach techniques… everything after that is up to the cook š
I made this chicken last week when I had guests from Boston. Liked that I could marinate it ahead of time. I even posted a picture. It came out beautifully. Thanks a lot!
YAY!!! Irina! I love this recipe!!! I am working on a slightly different one that will give you an option to make it a one-pot meal…STAY TUNED!
WOW! This sounds fantastic and looks utterly tempting. This is my first visit to your site, and I’ll be back!
Thank you Adri!! This is seriously one of my FAVORITES!!!! Heading over to your site!!
I smiled when I read your secret tip. BROASTING. Now, I’ve never had a technical term for it, but yes, I broast regularly! You genius you. I have so much to learn from you. The flavours in this are incredible and the photos are worthy of some serious pinterest sharing! š N x
Awwww thanks Nagi!!! I get excited when I see I have a comment from you š Broasting is my fave :)And please lady! You are a fantastic cook! And thanks for the pic feedback I think they were a bit too bright so I will def be taking your advice and take away that second Lowell š
I love lemony Greek chicken. I made a similar dish a few years ago and this has made me want to make it again!
Thank you!!! Just wait! I have a one pot greek chicken and rice dish coming that will knock your socks off!
I’m so glad you went back and breathed new life into this amazing post with new pictures! (I’ve been thinking of doing the same with a few of mine). This is definitely a recipe worth bringing back up to the top! I am such a huge fan of Greek cooking and all their wonderful fresh flavors. I have to give this broasting a try – it sounds like a fantastic technique š Cheers sweetie!
A www thank you honey!!!!! My chicken Vesuvio is next š
You certainly don’t expect me to say that I don’t like it! As a Greek I was grown up with such meals! Looks delicious!
Thank you!!! This comment coming from a Greek just made my day š
I need this dish in my life. I have chicken, potatoes and way too many lemons sitting in my fridge. I know what we’re having for dinner on Thursday now. š I love how simple this is and that I can get everything together the night before. Totally sold. š
Leslie! Thank you for the wonderful comments!!! I am so glad you liked it š And I love the name of your blog š Heading over there now š
Marinade is a noun; marinate is a verb. If you put something into a marinade, you are marinating it.
Thank you so much! I get so involved in my recipes that sometimes I forget about my grammar! Have a happy new year!
Can you tell me how much olive oil to use? I feel like I have looked everywhere and see no amount.
Hi Sally! You do not need any olive oil. The chicken will have more than enough fat escaping it while it cooks to make everything nice and golden.
I meant for the marinade. Says to use olive oil.
Sorry! It’s 2 tbsp!!
When you mention chicken stock, is there a specific type or do you just use some from the store. Not sure I understand clearly
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Hi Anthony, you can use either store bought or homemade it’s up to you whichever brand you like
Ok great! This is what im cooking for 10 people this friday for Valentines day. have you written a cook book yet?
Hi Anthony!!! That’s wonderful I’m sure they will love it!!! I have not written an official cookbook yet but there is an ebook on my site free if you sign up as a subscriber š I’m still waiting for that publishing company to come find me š
Excellent recipe ! One suggestion … in order for the potatoes to be throughly cooked at the same time the chicken is done , just cut them into smaller pieces. Eighths instead of quarters works fine …. I’ve also made this recipe with a whole chicken, and I found that reversing the broasting process works best for a whole bird … cook it covered in the oven at the lower temp for a couple of hours, then uncovered for the last 30 – 60 mins at the higher temp to crisp everything up !
Omg why didn’t I think of cutting them smaller š lol that’s a total blond moment š thanks for the tips Dimitry!!!
Hi, I really like your recipe, but I am also attracted to the red pot you used? I was a bit confused with pot versus pan. I noticed the title says One Pot Greek Chicken and Potatoes so I thought they were cooked or broasted in the pot, but then I saw a picture of a white pan and you mentioned several times you used a pan. I am still an amateur to cooking so would appreciate any advice you can give on methods of cooking this. Looks amazing! Thanks!
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Hi Marianna! You can use both!!!! Photography is tricky so i sometimes have to swap things out š but you can use either š