Cooking Adventures

Delicious and straightforward recipe from Greek.food.com. Unfortunately, the recipe is no longer available at the original link (http://greek.food.com/recipe/greek-lemon-chicken-with-potatoes-59469), so I’ve summarized it as follows:

Ingredients: 5-6 Idaho potatoes (or 2 lb fingerling potatoes – see Note below); one whole chicken (4 to 4 1/8 lb – see Note 2 below); 2 large lemons; ½ cup olive oil; ½ cup water; 6 large garlic cloves; 1 ½ Tbsp fresh or dried Greek oregano, divided; 1 ½ tsp salt, divided; and ½ tsp black pepper, divided.

1. Preheat the oven to 480 (or lower – see Note below) and lower the middle oven rack by one notch (to accommodate the roasting pan).
2. Place 5-6 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise, in a large roasting pan (we often substitute with 2 lb unpeeled fingering potatoes – see Note 2 below). Toss the potato wedges with ½ cup each olive oil and water, the juice from one lemon, 3 minced garlic cloves, about ¾ Tbsp fresh oregano (we use dried Greek oregano), ¾ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Set aside as you prepare the chicken.
3. Using paper towels, pat dry your whole chicken (try to use one that is no more than 4 1/8 lb – see Note 3), including the inside cavity. Season both the inside and outside of the chicken with the juice of one lemon, 3 minced garlic cloves, ¾ Tbsp fresh oregano (we use dried Greek oregano), ¾ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Place the chicken in the fridge and keep there while you execute the fourth step.
4. Place the potatoes (seasoned and already in the roasting pan) in middle rack of the oven and roast for 20 mins (while the chicken is marinating in the fridge).
5. At the 20 min mark, remove the roasting pan and place it on the stovetop. Move the potatoes from the center of the pan to make room for the chicken, then place the chicken (breast-side down) in the center of the pan. Pour the remaining chicken marinade over the chicken. Give the potatoes a stir (to ensure even browning), then place back in oven for 20 mins.
6. At the end of 20 mins, turn the chicken over so it is now breast-side up. Let roast for another 20 mins.
7. Keep the roasting pan in the oven (do not open the door), turn off the oven, and let the chicken and potatoes gently cook in the ambient heat for 30 mins.
8. Remove roasting pan from oven and let it sit on the unheated stovetop (or on a trivet at your dining table) for 5-10 mins to let the juices settle before carving.

The best trick I learned from this recipe is: to ensure the whole chicken is fully cooked, after cooking time ends, turn off the oven but leave the chicken in the closed oven for another half hour. The chicken will finish cooking and will brown in the ambient heat. The total oven time should be 1 ½ hours: 20 mins for potatoes, 20 mins for chicken breast side down, 20 mins for chicken breast side up, and 30 mins with the oven shut off. If you make this recipe with two chickens (3 to 3 ¼ lbs each), then factor in an additional 30-40 mins cooking time (at 480 degrees) before shutting the oven off.

Note 1: In our original Jenn-Air oven, 480 was the right temperature. But in our new GE Profile, 480 degrees caused burning and some smoking midway through roasting. We reduced to 475, then to 450, for the last 20 mins of active roasting. The next time, we may start roasting at 470. (May 2020)
Note 2: To save time and increase nutrition, we often use 2 lb unpeeled fingerling potatoes instead of several large and peeled potatoes cut into long quarters. However, peeled and quartered Idaho potatoes taste best, as they crisp up and absorb the lemon/olive oil flavor well. (May 2020)
Note 3: We have found that a 4 to 4 1/8 lb chicken works best for this recipe. When we have used anything heavier (such as 4 ¼ lb), the chicken is not fully cooked. Then we have had to start over again with our oven, preheating to 480 and then roasting for an additional 15-20 mins. Not fun.