Lemony Chicken With Potatoes and Oregano

Published June 15, 2022

Lemony Chicken With Potatoes and Oregano
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(2,849)
Comments
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This might be the easiest roast chicken and potatoes recipe out there. Roasting lemon slices with the potatoes infuses them with a bright, zippy flavor. Then, you can eat the roasted lemon or not — the caramelized, intense flavor is for true lemon lovers only. Serve this with one or two of your favorite condiments on the side for dipping the potatoes.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 2lemons
  • pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 to 3), patted dry with paper towels (see Tip)
  • pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, halved and cut into ½-inch wedges
  • teaspoons dried oregano, plus more for serving
  • teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more for serving
  • ¾teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup or hot sauce, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

1053 calories; 68 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 34 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 59 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 54 grams protein; 1572 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees and, if you like, line a sheet pan with parchment paper (not essential but helpful for cleaning up).

  2. Step 2

    Trim the ends off 1 lemon, then cut the lemon in half crosswise.Thinly slice one half of the lemon into rounds, then cut the rounds into quarters, creating small triangles. Shake out the seeds then place the lemon quarters into a large bowl. Save the remaining lemon half for serving. Cut the remaining whole lemon into wedges, for serving.

  3. Step 3

    Add chicken and potatoes to the large bowl with the lemon quarters. Add the oregano, salt and pepper; toss well. (Your hands are the best tools here.) Drizzle in the oil and toss again.

  4. Step 4

    Arrange chicken thighs skin side up on one half of the prepared sheet pan, and potatoes and lemons on the other, spreading the potatoes out into one layer. Roast for 20 minutes. Using a long-handled spoon, stir the potatoes, then spread them out again in one layer. (You don’t have to touch the chicken.) Continue roasting until chicken and potatoes are cooked through and everything is golden and crisped, another 15 to 20 minutes (40 to 45 minutes total roasting time).

  5. Step 5

    To serve, squeeze the juice from the lemon half all over chicken and potatoes and give everything a good stir to incorporate all the tasty juices and browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with more oregano and salt, and serve with additional lemon wedges and condiments on the side.

Tip
  • You can substitute 1¼ pounds chicken drumsticks for the thighs, or use a combination of thighs and drumsticks. Bone-in, skin-on breasts can also be substituted; because they cook more quickly than dark meat does, you’ll need to start checking on them after 30 minutes of total roasting time.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,849 user ratings
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Comments

My Greek father who taught me how to cook used to make a very similar recipe. I also add quite a bit of garlic, some good feta, and Kalamata olives.

I think for a beginner cooks, some food safety info about chicken would be a good idea. Don’t wash chicken before using it, but make sure to wash up properly afterward, and use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. The step where you toss the chicken and lemon, and then add oil and toss again? This only works if you’ve done mise en place and your oil is already poured; if not, you’ve got to wash chicken and lemon off your hands, measure and add the oil, and then wash your hands again!

This seems like a dish that’s crying out for garlic. Has anyone tried that?

Yum!! I made this for a dinner party once and now two times more. The roasted lemons are delicious.

So easy and delicious. Added a few cloves of garlic as suggested and smashed them with the caramelized lemon- no need for a sauce! Also, just put it all in a zip lock bag, then you can mix without getting chicken hands.

Loved it! Added two cloves of garlic and a bunch of broccoli as well and worked great

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Credits

By Melissa Clark

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