Discover The Secret To Making Amazing Greek Lemon Chicken And Potatoes

Discover the authentic Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes recipe that’s been in my family for generations! This isn’t just any chicken dish – it’s the EXACT recipe my Greek grandmother (Yiayia) became famous for in our village. The secret? A special combination of lemon, garlic, oregano, and a surprising hint of cinnamon that creates the most tender, flavorful chicken you’ve ever tasted! The potatoes absorb all those incredible juices, creating a perfect crispy-outside, fluffy-inside texture that’s impossible to resist. This one-pan meal is simple enough for weeknights but impressive enough for special occasions. Learn the authentic techniques passed down through generations of Greek home cooks that make this dish absolutely irresistible!
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yasu friends welcome back to Taste of the Greek Isles i am Elena and today I am sharing my family’s treasured recipe for Greek lemon chicken and potatoes truly the best one pan dinner you’ll ever make this dish is the heart of Greek home cooking my Thea that’s aunt in Greek made this every Sunday and the smell of lemon and oregano would fill her entire house in Athens when we would visit the best part it’s incredibly simple but bursting with Mediterranean flavors did you know that in Greece we use lemons in cooking more than almost any other country in the world the Greek island of Cree alone has over 1 million lemon trees today I’ll show you all my family secrets for making chicken and potatoes that are crispy on the outside juicy on the inside and infused with that distinctive Greek lemon flavor let’s gather our ingredients for this magnificent one pan wonder we need three lbs of bonein skin on chicken thighs about six to eight pieces in Greece we always use bone in chicken because it adds so much more flavor two pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes cut into chunks about this big yukon Golds are perfect because they get crispy outside but stay creamy inside 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil always use the best quality you can find did you know the average Greek person consumes 26 L of olive oil per year that’s more than 12 times what Americans consume one could three cup of freshlysqueezed lemon juice about two to three lemons never use bottled juice for this recipe eight cloves of garlic minced yes eight greeks are not shy with garlic 2 tablespoons dried oregano greek oregano is more pungent than Italian but either works 1 tbsp dried thyme first preheat your oven to 400° F or 205 Celsius this high initial temperature helps seal in the juices in a large bowl we’ll create our marinade whisk together the olive oil freshlysqueezed lemon juice minced garlic oregano thyme salt pepper paprika and our secret ingredient cinnamon this combination of herbs and spices has been used in Greek cooking for thousands of years in fact archaeologists found oregano in cooking vessels from ancient Greece dating back to 3000 B.C.E now pat your chicken thighs dry with paper towels this is crucial for getting that crispy skin we all love in Greece we say the secret is in the details and this simple step makes all the difference place your potato chunks in a large roasting pan or casserole dish add the chicken thighs to our marinade making sure each piece is thoroughly coated take your time with this step we want every bit of chicken to be infused with these flavors now place the chicken thighs on top of the potatoes skin side up this position allows the skin to get beautifully crispy while the fat renders down into the potatoes below it’s a win-win pour all the remaining marinade over the potatoes and toss them to coat nothing goes to waste in a Greek kitchen pour the chicken broth around not over the chicken and potatoes this creates steam without making the chicken soggy then nestle these lemon quarters throughout the pan as they roast they’ll caramelize and release their oils creating an incredible aroma and flavor cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil this initial covered baking creates steam that helps cook the potatoes bake covered at 400° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes this gives the potatoes a head start in cooking while our dish begins to bake let me tell you something interesting this style of lemon roasted meat is called silto in Greek and it dates back to ancient times when communal ovens were used in villages families would prepare their Sunday roasts at home then take them to the village baker who would cook them in his oven after the bread was finished baking after 20 minutes remove the foil and reduce the temperature to 375° F or 190 C now we’ll continue baking uncovered for about 50 60 minutes about halfway through the uncovered baking time bust the chicken and potatoes with the pan juices look at this amazing sauce developing in the pan the combination of chicken fat lemon and herbs creates what Greeks call zooi literally juice but it means so much more it’s liquid gold the chicken is done when the skin is golden and crispy and the internal temperature reaches 165° F or 74 C when tested with a meat thermometer always check the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone look at this beautiful dish the chicken skin is crispy and golden the potatoes are tender with caramelized edges and the whole kitchen smells like a Greek tivera let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving this allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat making it even more tender and flavorful sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley for a pop of color and freshness in grease we also like to add some crumbled feta cheese on top the salty cheese is perfect with the lemony sauce this recipe serves four to six people depending on appetite in Greece we’d serve this with a simple horatiki salad that’s what you might know as Greek salad and some crusty bread to soak up all that amazing sauce m the chicken is so juicy the potatoes are infused with lemon and herbs and that sauce it’s absolutely divine this is comfort food at its finest did you know that when the famous Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onases married Jackie Kennedy they served a version of this dish at their wedding reception it’s considered elegant enough for special occasions but simple enough for a weekn night dinner if you want to experience more authentic Greek recipes from the islands subscribe to Taste of the Greek Isles and click the notification bell next week I’ll show you how to make my family’s secret baklava recipe until then as we say in Greece kali orexi bonapeti because when you cook with love you feed the soul