Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes: One-Tin Kotopoulo Lemonato

Greek lemon chicken, kotopoulo lemonato, is one of the great Sunday dishes of the Greek home kitchen: chicken roasted in a single tin with potatoes, olive oil, plenty of lemon, garlic and dried oregano. As it cooks, the chicken juices drip into the potatoes and mix with the lemon and oil to make a bright, savoury sauce. It needs no special equipment, and most of the time is hands-off in the oven.

Greek lemon chicken recipe

Serves: 4 servings. Prep: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes marinating. Cook: about 1 hour. Total: about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lb / 1.4 kg)
• 2 lb (900 g) potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil, such as our Rapti Koroneiki olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons (about ⅓ cup / 80 ml), plus the zest of 1
• 4 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
• 1 tbsp dried Greek oregano, such as our dried Greek oregano
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
• 1½ tsp sea salt and ½ tsp black pepper
• ¾ cup (180 ml) chicken stock or water
• Chopped parsley and lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels (don’t rinse it) and coat it with half the mixture. Leave for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
2. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C, 200°C fan). Toss the potatoes with the rest of the marinade and spread them in a large roasting tin.
3. Nestle the chicken thighs, skin side up, among the potatoes. Pour the stock into the corners of the tin, not over the chicken skin.
4. Roast for 50–60 minutes, turning the potatoes once, until the skin is crisp and golden and the potatoes are tender. Add a splash of water if the tin looks dry.
5. Check the chicken with a thermometer: it should reach at least 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part, away from the bone.
6. Rest for 5 minutes. Spoon the lemony pan juices over the chicken and potatoes, and finish with parsley and lemon wedges.

Why thighs work best

Bone-in, skin-on thighs stay juicy during a long, hot roast, and the skin crisps while the potatoes cook through. You can use a whole chicken cut into pieces, or drumsticks, with the same timing. Boneless breasts cook much faster; if you use them, give the potatoes a 25-minute head start and add the breasts for the last 20–25 minutes. However you cook it, the USDA lists 165°F (74°C) as the safe internal temperature for poultry, and a thermometer is the most reliable way to check.

There is no need to rinse raw chicken before cooking. The USDA’s food safety service advises against washing raw poultry, because it does not remove bacteria and can splash them around the sink and worktop. Pat the pieces dry with paper towels instead, which also helps the skin crisp.

The lemon, oil and oregano trio

These three ingredients define Greek roasting. Lemon brightens the rich juices, olive oil carries the flavour and browns the potatoes, and dried oregano gives the dish its unmistakably Greek aroma. Use fresh lemons rather than bottled juice, and add the zest for extra fragrance. Dried Greek oregano is strong, so a tablespoon is plenty for a full tin; crumble it between your fingers as you add it. For a deeper look at the herb, see cooking with Greek oregano.

Crispy potatoes in the same tin

The potatoes are as important as the chicken. Cut them into thick wedges so they don’t collapse, spread them out in a single layer, and pour the stock into the corners rather than over the top. The potatoes first simmer in the liquid, then fry in the oil as it evaporates, ending up soft inside with crisp, lemony edges. For a vegetarian side made the same way, try our Greek lemon potatoes.

Variations

• Marinate overnight: for more flavour, use our Greek chicken marinade and refrigerate the chicken for up to 8 hours.
• Add vegetables: wedges of onion, peppers or courgette go into the tin for the last 30 minutes.
• Olives: scatter a handful of Kalamata olives over the tin in the last 10 minutes.
• Mustard: a spoonful in the marinade, as here, helps the lemon and oil emulsify into a smoother sauce.

What to serve with Greek lemon chicken

The dish is a complete meal, but a crisp Greek salad or a bowl of tzatziki makes a good contrast. Crusty bread is useful for the pan juices. If you want a lemony starter, a small bowl of avgolemono soup is traditional, and Greek lemon rice can replace the potatoes.

Storing and reheating

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 3–4 days. Reheat in a hot oven until steaming and 165°F (74°C) inside, which keeps the skin crisper than a microwave. Cold leftover chicken is also very good shredded into a salad with a lemon vinaigrette.

Find more everyday dishes in the Greek pantry recipes and the Greek oregano collection.

Sources

• USDA FSIS: Safe minimum internal temperature chart
• USDA FSIS: Washing food, does it promote food safety?
• USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety

Greek lemon chicken: frequently asked questions