Delicious and easy to make baked Greek lemon chicken, a whole roasted lemon chicken on a bed of tender potatoes and carrots.

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Juicy on the inside, delicious crispy skin, lemon and garlic flavors. One amazing Greek lemon chicken served with tender potatoes, a one pan meal easier to make than you might think.

Roast chicken is something I make quite often. Chicken thighs are maybe more convenient, chicken breast healthier and quicker, but nothing is so impressive and festive as a whole roast chicken golden and bursting with flavor.

My family just loves it, either a simple whole roasted chicken with vegetables and potatoes on the side, a flavorful orange chicken or something more special and seasonal like a chicken roasted over apples, for instance.

A minimum amount of work, one pan and you can have a really special lunch or dinner on a lazy Sunday or any other day of the week, actually. The only thing you have to consider is that this particular Greek lemon chicken needs some time to marinate, about 2-3 hours.

GREEK CHICKEN AND POTATOES

What I love most about this Greek chicken and potatoes recipe is that it is so easy to make and that it only uses one pan. And there is garlic in it… and lemon… and, of course, the tender delicious chicken itself… All things I love to eat!

HOW TO MAKE BAKED LEMON CHICKEN

Making a whole roasted chicken might sounds daunting, but it is actually easier to cook than you think.

This Greek chicken with potatoes looks impressive on your table, but it is so easy to put together, you might end up making it on a regular basis.

Should you wash chicken before cooking?

NO! Do not wash the chicken before you cook it, it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever as only cooking the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 73 degrees Celsius/165 degrees Fahrenheit will guarantee that all the bacteria will be killed.

Washing the chicken in your sink will only cause this bacteria to contaminate your sink and other surfaces.

The United States Department of Agriculture – Food Safety and Inspection Service says:

“Washing raw poultry before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other food, utensils and surfaces. This is called cross-contamination. Rinsing or soaking chicken does not destroy bacteria. Only cooking will destroy any bacteria that might be present on fresh chicken.”

So no washing the chicken. Just make sure that the chicken is dry before marinating, spicing it or buttering it.

In the case of today’s baked Greek chicken, you will have to marinate it first.

Marinating the Greek lemon chicken:

Mix together the grated garlic cloves, dried herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Rub the chicken all over, including the cavity. Cover the chicken with cling film and let it marinate for 2-3 hours.

I used dried oregano and rosemary to make the marinade for the Greek chicken and potatoes, but you could use fresh herbs instead. Chop them finely and use them to marinate the lemon chicken.

Alternatively, you can use thyme (always a favorite when cooking chicken), an Italian or French dried herb mixture or a ready made spice mixture for chicken. I buy mine at the Turkish store, it contains more than just herbs – some paprika powder, garlic powder, chili, salt and pepper and so on.

You can experiment with the herbs and spices and discover your favorite combination, that’s one of the best things about cooking!

Potatoes and vegetables for the Greek lemon chicken

Choose a roasting pan large enough to hold the potatoes and vegetables in one layer.

Peel the potatoes into large chunks. Peel the carrots and cut them into sticks. Cut the onions into wedges. Give them to the roasting pan, pour over the olive oil and add some more dried herbs.

When it comes to potatoes, dried rosemary is my “default” herb, I don’t even think about it anymore, I just add it… But again, use whatever you like or have in your spice cupboard.

Add some salt and pepper, mix well with your hands to make sure that all the veggies are coated with the oil and spices. Pour in the chicken stock.

Give the squeezed lemon halves inside the chicken. This is the reason why I always buy an organic, unwaxed lemon when cooking Greek lemon chicken. You use the juice of the lemon to marinate the chicken and the remaining lemon halves to stuff the chicken with.

And I really do insist on you placing the empty lemon halves into the chicken’s cavity, it does make a difference, the lemon shells perfume the chicken from the inside, they make it irresistible.

Tie the chicken legs together. You can truss it, of course, but most of the times I don’t bother… I do that mostly when cooking for guests… If you would like to truss the chicken, have a look at this You Tube tutorial.

Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 73 degrees Celsius/165 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you have a kitchen thermometer, check the temperature by inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. If you don’t have a thermometer, pierce the chicken with a skewer in the thickest part of the thigh, the juices should run clear.

If the chicken is not ready yet, return it to the oven and check again after about 5 more minutes. Repeat until the juices run clear or the internal temperature is reached.

Let the chicken rest for about 15 minutes before carving. Why? Lots of juice builds up during roasting and if you cut the chicken immediately after taking it out of the oven, the juices will just come out of it. Letting the bird rest for a while will give those juices time to be reabsorbed into the meat.

Serve the Greek lemon chicken with the potatoes, carrots and onions from the pan and a green salad with vinaigrette or yogurt dressing.

WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER ROAST CHICKEN

Reserve the carcass of the baked Greek chicken to make chicken stock. Making homemade chicken stock is easy and it tastes amazing, better than any other stock, if you ask me.

Not to mention it is super cheap and allows you to make the most of your chicken, no waste at all. Have a look at this post if you want to learn how easy it is to make chicken stock at home.

The short version of that post: give the roasted chicken carcass to a large pot, add 1 large carrot (halved), one onion (halved), 1 piece of celeriac or 2-3 halved celery sticks, 1 large piece of leek (if you happen to have it).

Add the spices: 4-5 bay leaves, 10 black peppercorns, 5 cloves, 5 juniper berries, 5 all-spice berries.

Cover everything with cold water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat as soon as the water boils and simmer everything for at least 4-5 hours, preferably longer. I usually start with the chicken stock in the morning and let it simmer, uncovered and on very low heat, until I go to bed in the evening.

Of course, that means you have to be at home the entire day. That is not difficult for me as I work from home, but otherwise you could make the stock on a Sunday, for instance. Once it simmers, you will not have to tend to it at all.

Strain the stock and discard the bones and the vegetables. The homemade chicken stock keeps well in the fridge for at least 3-4 days. It also freezes very well.

And if you have some leftover chicken meat from making this Greek lemon chicken, here are some ideas:

Quick Fricassee with Leftover Turkey/Chicken and Mushrooms

Romanian Boeuf Salad with Potatoes, Gherkins and Mayonnaise

Healthy Turkey or Chicken Buckwheat Soup with Vegetables

Inspiration: A Bird in the Hand by Diana Henry.

Baked Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Delicious and easy to make baked Greek lemon chicken, a whole roasted lemon chicken on a bed of tender potatoes and carrots.

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Ingredients

• 1 chicken of about 1,4 kg/ 3 lbs
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, divided
• 1 lemon, preferably organic and unwaxed
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 kg/ 2.2 lbs potatoes
• 300 g/ 10.6 oz carrots
• 1 large onion
• 300 ml/ 10 fl.oz/ 1 1/3 cups chicken stock (hot)
• fine sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

• Marinate the chicken:

Grate the garlic cloves and give them to a small bowl. Add the dried oregano and 1 teaspoon of the dried rosemary. Add the lemon juice (reserve the juiced lemon halves for stuffing the chicken). Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir well.

Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper. Rub very well with the marinade, outside and inside as well. Cover with cling film and marinate for 2-3 hours in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before placing it in the oven, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Roasting the Greek lemon chicken:

Peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks. Peel and cut the carrots into sticks. Peel and cut the onion into wedges. Give them all to a large roasting pan. Pour the remaining olive oil (2 tablespoons) on top, add the remaining rosemary (1 teaspoon), fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well with your hands so that the vegetables are evenly coated with the oil and spices.

Heat the chicken stock in a small pan and pour it into the roasting pan. Pour it carefully in one corner of the pan, so that the spices covering the vegetables are not washed away. Shake the pan gently to distribute the stock all over the pan.

Give the squeezed lemon halves into the chicken's cavity. Tie the legs of the chicken and place the chicken on top of the veggies.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 73 degrees Celsius/165 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you have a kitchen thermometer, check the temperature by inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. If you don't have a thermometer, pierce the chicken with a skewer in the thickest part of the thigh, the juices should run clear.

If the chicken is not ready yet, return it to the oven and check again after about 5 more minutes. Repeat until the juices run clear or the internal temperature is reached.

Let the chicken rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1/4 of the dish
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 8166 Total Fat: 476g Saturated Fat: 131g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 297g Cholesterol: 3292mg Sodium: 3458mg Carbohydrates: 71g Fiber: 10g Sugar: 9g Protein: 848g

Nutritional information is not always accurate.