Greek Food Mains

Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes (One-Pan Recipe)

Name: Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: 1.5 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks (about 8 pieces); 2 lemons (zest and juice, about 100 ml); 4 garlic cloves (finely grated); 2 tsp dried Greek oregano; 60 ml extra virgin olive oil; 1 tsp fine sea salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 kg potatoes (all-purpose or waxy, cut into wedges); 40 ml extra virgin olive oil; 250 ml hot chicken stock; 1/2 tsp fine sea salt; fresh parsley (chopped, to serve)

Chicken thighs and potatoes roasted in one pan with lemon, garlic, oregano and olive oil. Crisp skin, lemony potatoes.

Serves

Calories

720 kcal

Cuisine

Greek

☆☆☆☆☆ No ratings yet. Be the first to rate it

↓ Jump to recipe

Save to Pinterest

Roasting tin of Greek lemon chicken and potatoes with crisp golden skin, lemon and parsley

On this page: What is it · History · What you need · Step by step · Serving & storage · Recipe card

Greek lemon chicken and potatoes is a one-pan dinner of bone-in chicken and potato wedges, roasted with lemon juice, garlic, oregano, olive oil and a little stock. The chicken gets crisp skin, and the potatoes soak up all the lemony juices underneath.

It is one of the most popular family meals in Greece, and one of the easiest: about twenty minutes of preparation and the oven does the rest.

If you have made our Greek lemon potatoes, this is the same idea with chicken added to the pan.

What Is It?

In Greece this dish is called kotopoulo lemonato me patates, which simply means lemon chicken with potatoes. Lemonato describes dishes cooked in a lemon and olive oil sauce.

Chicken pieces, usually thighs and drumsticks, are marinated in lemon, garlic, oregano and olive oil, then roasted on top of potato wedges with a splash of stock. As the liquid reduces, it turns into a light, tangy pan sauce.

It is a straightforward example of everyday Mediterranean cooking: a few good ingredients, olive oil and lemon, and one tray.

A Little History

Serving Greek lemon chicken and potatoes from the tin at a family lunch table

Lemon, olive oil and oregano are the backbone of Greek home cooking, and roasting meat with potatoes in the same pan is a long-standing family tradition, especially for Sunday lunch.

Not so long ago, many households took their roasting pans to the neighbourhood bakery to cook in the big wood-fired oven, then collected them for lunch. Dishes like this were made for exactly that kind of cooking.

Today it is a weeknight standard, made with chicken, lamb or pork depending on the family and the season.

At a glance

Serves

Calories

720 kcal

Protein

42 g

Course

Main

Jump to recipe

Why it works

01 One pan, about 20 minutes hands-on

02 Potatoes cook in the lemony chicken juices

03 Crisp skin from a final blast of heat

Greek lemon chicken and potatoes in a roasting tin with parsley and lemon, seen from above

Cooking this later?

Save it to your Pinterest board so it’s there when you need it.

Save to Pinterest

What You Need

Exact amounts are in the recipe card

For the Chicken

bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks, about 8 pieces
lemons, zest and juice, about 100 ml
garlic cloves, finely grated
dried Greek oregano
extra virgin olive oil
fine sea salt
black pepper

For the Potatoes

potatoes, all-purpose or waxy, cut into wedges
extra virgin olive oil
hot chicken stock
fine sea salt
fresh parsley, chopped, to serve

Ingredients for Greek lemon chicken: chicken thighs and drumsticks, potatoes, lemons, garlic, oregano, olive oil and stock

Step-by-Step Instructions

Marinate the chicken, toss the potatoes, then roast everything together. The only thing to watch is the liquid in the pan.

Chicken pieces turned in a lemon, garlic, oregano and olive oil marinade

1. Marinate the chicken

Mix the lemon zest and juice, garlic, oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Leave for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the fridge.

Potato wedges tossed in olive oil and salt in a roasting tin for Greek lemon chicken

2. Prepare the potatoes

Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Toss the potato wedges in the roasting tin with the olive oil and salt and spread them out in one layer.

Chicken placed skin side up on potatoes with lemony stock poured around them

3. Assemble the tray

Lift the chicken out of the marinade and sit it skin side up on top of the potatoes. Mix the leftover marinade with the hot stock and pour it around the potatoes, not over the chicken skin.

Tip: Keeping the skin dry is what lets it crisp in the oven.

Turning the potatoes in the pan juices halfway through roasting Greek lemon chicken

4. Roast

Roast for 45 minutes. Turn the potatoes in the juices, add a splash of water if the pan looks dry, and roast for another 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken reaches 75 °C at the thickest part and the potatoes are golden.

5. Rest and serve

Rest for 5 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve straight from the tin with the pan juices spooned over.

Serving & Storage

Serving

Serve with a Greek salad or a simple green salad, plus bread for the pan juices. Tzatziki on the side is never a bad idea.

It also pairs well with horta, boiled greens dressed with lemon and olive oil.

Storing Leftovers

Cool the chicken and potatoes, then store them together in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cooked chicken and potatoes	up to 3 days
Freezer, chicken only	up to 3 months
Reheat	180 °C oven, 15 to 20 minutes

Reheat in the oven with a splash of water or stock so the potatoes don’t dry out. Potatoes don’t freeze well, so freeze only the chicken.

Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

Chicken thighs and potatoes roasted in one pan with lemon, garlic, oregano and olive oil. Crisp skin, lemony potatoes.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 10

Marinate 30

Total Time 2

Servings servings

Calories 720

Equipment

Large roasting tin, about 30 x 40 cm
Large bowl
Citrus juicer
Tongs

Ingredients

Chicken

1.5 kg bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks about 8 pieces
2 lemons zest and juice, about 100 ml
4 garlic cloves finely grated
2 tsp dried Greek oregano
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Potatoes

1 kg potatoes all-purpose or waxy, cut into wedges
40 ml extra virgin olive oil
250 ml hot chicken stock
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
fresh parsley chopped, to serve

Use bone-in, skin-on pieces. Boneless breast dries out in the time the potatoes need to cook.

For extra crispy skin, switch to the grill setting for the last 3 to 4 minutes and watch closely.

Instructions

Mix the lemon zest and juice, garlic, oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Leave for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the fridge.
Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Toss the potato wedges in the roasting tin with the olive oil and salt and spread them out in one layer.
Lift the chicken out of the marinade and sit it skin side up on top of the potatoes. Mix the leftover marinade with the hot stock and pour it around the potatoes, not over the chicken skin.
Roast for 45 minutes. Turn the potatoes in the juices, add a splash of water if the pan looks dry, and roast for another 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken reaches 75 °C at the thickest part and the potatoes are golden.
Rest for 5 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve straight from the tin with the pan juices spooned over.