Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes is a beloved Sunday roast, infused with a marinade of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs, and plenty of lemon. This is the exact recipe I turn to every time we crave a cozy, flavor-packed roast at home. The crispy potatoes soak up the savory juices, adding an irresistible touch to every bite.
If you love this Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes, you will also love this Greek Dutch Oven Roast Chicken, Spatchcock Chicken With Lemon & Garlic, or Buttermilk Chicken Thighs With Lemon Garlic Orzo!
What cooks say:
“Delish, and SO simple! The marinade is terrific. I had a couple of fennel bulbs in the fridge, so I added them in with the potatoes. This dish is going into the rotation.”
LISA
Why you will love Classic Greek Lemon Chicken
Here is what you need
- Chicken: Get a whole free-range chicken broken into eight pieces. Bone-in chicken breasts or a pack of chicken thighs will also work, provided they are of the same total weight (3.5 to 4 lbs).
- Yukon gold potatoes. They have a thin skin that I like to keep. After scrubbing the potatoes clean, they are cut into wedges.
- Lemons. Their aromatic juice and zest will be used to season the potatoes before roasting.
- Mustard. Choose from yellow, dijon, and even honey mustard.
- Garlic head. In this recipe, a total of approximately ten cloves are used. If you prefer a lighter garlic touch, cut the amount in half.
- Fresh herbs. Thyme, sage sprigs, and rosemary. I love working with fresh herbs. You can use all or some. If no fresh options are available, you can use their dried equivalent as a substitute.
TIP: If you had to choose one herb to use in Greek cooking, it would be dried oregano. It’s the dried herb found in most traditional Greek recipes, a pantry staple that sits right next to the stove, along with sea salt and pepper.
Step by step
Step 1:
Using a food processor, pulse half the garlic, the leaves from two sprigs of rosemary, two sprigs of thyme, a tablespoon of dried oregano, the mustard, a generous pinch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and half the olive oil.
If you don’t have a food processor, chop all the marinade ingredients as finely as possible and mix them with the olive oil in a jar or a bowl.
Step 2: Add the chicken to a pan and pour over the marinade. Massage the chicken marinade through every nook, cranny and under the skin if possible.
Cover and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight70.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 390°F / 200°C.
Scrub the potatoes clean and cut them into wedges.
Step 3: Using a food processor, pulse the other half of the garlic, juice and zest from two lemons, a teaspoon of sea salt, a tablespoon of dried oregano, a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, and the rest of the olive oil.
Step 4: Tuck the potato wedges between the chicken pieces and pour the garlic lemon mixture over the potatoes. Set aside the remaining mixture to baste the chicken as it cooks. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 45 minutes.
Remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes.
Measure the internal temperature of the chicken to ensure it is fully cooked and the juices run clear. The safe temperature for chicken is 165°F / 74°C.
Remove the chicken from the oven. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes, then serve.
Tips & Suggestions
- Don’t overcook. If the chicken is ready and the potatoes need more time, move the chicken to a serving platter, cover it with aluminum foil, and roast the potatoes until they are nice and crispy outside and tender inside.
- The sauce. The chicken drippings are infused with all the seasonings, herbs, lemon, and garlic and are excellent to pour over the roast.
- Make it silky. Pass the sauce through a sieve to remove any undesired fat components and make it silky. Transfer into a saucer to serve with the roast.
Greek side dishes for lemon chicken
- Horiatiki-Greek village salad. Adds a refreshing, acidic contrast to the savory meal.
- Tzatziki yogurt dip. Great for dipping bites of chicken or roasted potatoes.
- Spanakorizo-spinach and rice. It complements the lemony chicken flavors.
- Gigantes plaki-baked giant beans. Earthy and rich.
- Fasolakia ladera-braised green beans. A rustic favorite that balances the richness of the chicken.
- Fried zucchini or crispy eggplant. Add a fun texture to the meal.
- Horta-boiled wild greens. A traditional and healthy side that adds brightness.
Storage and reheating
- Refrigerate: Store the chicken and potatoes in separate airtight containers if possible. They’ll stay fresh for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Freeze: You can freeze the chicken for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, then wrap tightly or store in a freezer-safe container.
Potatoes may lose their texture when frozen, becoming slightly mushy once thawed—freeze only if necessary, for up to 1 month. - Reheat in the oven; that’s the best for crispy skin and roasted flavor:
Preheat to 350°F (175°C). Place chicken and potatoes in a baking dish, cover loosely with foil, and heat for about 20–25 minutes or until warmed through. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the skin and edges. - Reheat on the stovetop:
Add a splash of chicken broth or water to a skillet, place over medium heat, and cover. Reheat until hot, about 10–12 minutes. Finish uncovered for some crisping. - Reheat in the microwave, the quickest method, but softens texture:
Place on a microwave-safe plate, cover with a damp paper towel, and heat in 60–90 second bursts until hot.
More Greek chicken recipes
Classic Greek Lemon Chicken And Potatoes
Equipment
- Meat thermometer
- large baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 free-range chicken cut in 8 pieces. A 3.5-4 lb chicken.
- 6 Yukon gold potatoes cut in wedges
- 2 lemons juiced and zested
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup mustard
- 1 garlic head
- 2-3 thyme sprigs
- 2-3 sage sprigs
- 2-3 rosemary sprigs
Instructions
Marinate
- Using a food processor, pulse half the garlic, leaves from two sprigs of rosemary, leaves from two sprigs of thyme, a tablespoon of dried oregano, the mustard, a generous pinch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and half the olive oil.
- Add the chicken to a pan and pour over the marinade. Massage it through every nook and cranny, and under the skin if you can. Let chicken marinate for one hour to a day.
Get ready to roast
- Remove chicken from the refrigerator half an hour before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 390°F / 200°C
- Cut the potatoes into wedges and add them to a bowl.
- Using a food processor, pulse the other half garlic, juice, and zest from two lemons, a teaspoon of sea salt, a tablespoon of dried oregano, a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, and the rest of the olive oil.
- Tuck the potato wedges between the chicken pieces and pour the garlic lemon mixture over the potatoes.
- Bake chicken and potatoes covered with aluminum foil for 45 minutes.
- Remove aluminum foil and bake for another 30-45 minutes. If you have leftover garlic-lemon mixture, baste the chicken with it occasionally. This step is optional.Measure the chicken's internal temperature to ensure it is fully cooked and juices run clear. The safe temperature for chicken is 165°F / 74°C.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Cover and let it rest for ten minutes. Pass the sauce in the pan through a sieve, transfer it into a saucer and serve with the roast (See notes below).Serve chicken and potatoes with a green salad, bread, and feta.
Notes
- If you don’t have a food processor chop all the marinade ingredients as small as you can and mix them well in a jar or bowl.
- Instead of fresh herbs, use their fried equivalents. If there is one herb you use, make it dried oregano. Almost every Greek recipe has dried oregano in it. Its aroma is tied with most of the Greek flavors.
- Don’t overcook. If the chicken is ready and the potatoes need more time, move the chicken to a serving platter, cover it with aluminum foil, and roast the potatoes until they are nice and crispy outside and tender inside.
- The sauce that remains in the baking pan has all the chicken drippings and is infused with all the seasonings, herbs, lemon, and garlic and is excellent to pour over the roast. Pass the sauce through a sieve to remove any undesired fat components and make it silky. Transfer into a saucer to serve with the roast.
Nutrition
