Are you ready for this!? LITERALLY The Best Greek Chicken and Potatoes ever and you will never need another Roast Chicken Recipe as long as you live! This is probably the most beloved recipe on my entire site and hundreds of people agree! It was originally posted in April of 2011 and it was so popular that it even found a home in my first book and has been a staple meal in our house for a solid ten years.
Any of you who are long time readers (thank you!!) you will have probably heard me wax poetic about this recipe at some point or another- maybe you have even made it yourself!? So I just had to make a video about it, right?!
Perfect for entertaining, I will often do a double recipe of this Chicken and Potatoes for a crowd when I need something really easy. Since there is only a bit of prep before you just roast for 90 minutes, you have plenty of time to make a great salad and a veg in the meantime. You could even squeeze in a dessert before you pull the chicken out of the oven!
OK. Also, even though I am updating this post, I couldn’t bare to scrap this excerpt from a funny story that lived here from December a few years ago, so I will just leave it below for your enjoyment.
“Stuff is funny around here. The elf Toto (on the shelf) finally showed his face in an amazon express box after his predecessor somehow disappeared in our house work this last year. But seems like someone (ahem, ME) was a little rusty in moving that little bugger around each night. I get up really early and was sitting checking email and having a nice hot cup of tea at 5:30AM when I remembered that I never moved the elf. I ran into the living room and grabbed him. Just then, I hear Pia saying “mom, what are you doing?” but I realize it is so dark that she can’t see me yet. So I chucked the elf.
She came in and turned the lights on. I froze, red faced and the lies started pouring out. “I came in here to turn on the fire place because your dad had the nerve to turn it off last night and well, it’s just freezing! Help me find the matches in the other room” blah, blah, blah. Then she screamed- “mommy!! Look!”
That elf had landed just like this in a highball glass on our bar cart. Go figure. Toto likes the booze. And is surprisingly athletic.”- December 2014
Step by step photos and original post from 2011 HERE.
Recipe: The Best Greek Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 lemons
- 11 garlic c loves, minced
- 2 Tbs dried greek oregano
- 1 cup olive oil
- 6 medium Yukon gold potatoes
- Kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Trim the tips of the chicken wings and any extra fat. Split the chicken in half with a sharp chefs knife, and place both halves, bones down, on a sheet pan.
- Squeeze all of the juice of one lemon on the chicken. Rub the halves on both sides of the chicken. Pour ¼ cup of olive oil.
- Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper and half of the oregano. Add about 5 cloves of the garlic to the chicken.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place in a bowl.
- Add the remaining olive oil, oregano, lemon juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and toss the potatoes with everything until well coated.
- Pour the potatoes out onto the sheet pan with the chicken and all of the sauce.
- Roast the chicken at 350 degrees for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are golden and crispy.
- Serve the chicken and potatoes with the extra sauce poured over, and fresh lemon wedges. (Be sure to scrape up all of the browned up bits- those are the very best parts!)
Preparation time: 30 minute(s)
Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 6
I love this recipe. I make it once a month and then use the leftover chicken and potatoes for a pot pie. SO GOOD!
Yep, I love this recipe well deserved spot in your book. The elf on the shelf story LOVE!!
Great meal for a chilly day!
Can i ask why the video instructions are different than the written instructions? Does it make any difference in the outcome?
Love Greek food. This recipe looks so delicious and simple! Pinning!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it turned out absolutely delicious! I only ever went by the video and now I see the written instructions are different. Why? I guess I’ll just pretend I didn’t see them and continue with the video. Much easier anyway.
I’m seriously craving those potatoes, they look fab!
This is a great recipe! That chicken is gorgeous!
Oh my heck, this is perfect food for our cold weather!
I have your book, Heather, but inexplicably I have not made this recipe from it. Time to give it a try.
Clearly I can see how this would be the best chicken recipe!!
This was one of my favorite dishes growing up…that crispy crunch on both the chicken and potatoes and the LEMON! But now I can’t bring myself to eat chicken. Unless I know where the bird came from, it’s conditions and what it ate, nope just can’t do it anymore. Ahh the good ole days when chickens were chickens.
I know that your post is many years old, but I want to make a pitch for Trader Joe’s Heritage Chickens. They are smaller than the huge flavorless birds we get today. They are old breed that is raised slowly. They are a miracle of flavor compared to what we get these days.
This was a very good way with chicken, I did it in my seasoned cast iron skillet, it browned nicely as did the potatos. Will be making this again
Wow! The best chicken ever. This will be the recipe I follow for this.
Thanks Rhonda!!
Can you use bone in breast only with this?
Hi Cindy, you could use boneless chicken breasts, but you would greatly reduce the cooking time.
I’m Greek and find it hard to find original recipes my mother and grandmother made throughout my childhood. This is the best ever!!!!
Thank you so much. Today is the day to cook your recipe.
Wonderful Diane!! So happy that you like this!
In Wheeling, IL. growing up, Market Square restaurant opened around 1979. Their Grecian Chicken was my Dad’s favorite. Your recipe is the closest I have found in terms of awesome taste.
I made it a few times.. Naturally, I made some tweaks.. Used organic, skin-on legs. Soaked in brine water 1.5 – 2 hours in glass bowl in fridge. Then drain, rinse & dry. Used rind of 2 lemons, used small side of box grater because I do not have a lemon zester,.. Added 1 TBS Rosemary powder, 1 Tbs. Honey, juice of an additional lemon, 2 TBS Celtic sea salt. Some fresh ground pepper for cooking, but applied most of the pepper right onto dish when it comes out of the oven.. Whisked all sauce in a glass bowl 1st, pulled skin away to get sauce on meat, then re stretch skin over drumstick & bake.. Thanks!!!
I’m definitely making this tomorrow night…sounds delicious! Thank you!
I love this recipe!! We use leg quarters instead of whole chicken cuz my family prefers dark meat. It turns out so fantastic every time!
Ha, ha…I missed that one about the elf on the shelf! You are always so much fun! And I haven’t made this dish yet, but I am going now! Really sounds delicious….Thank you for making me smile (again and again) in the mornings…..
This is PICTURE PERFECT!
Well I am glad your poetic greek chicken voice shared this again, cause I GOTTA MAKE. you know I’d love!
Love the new video and photos! Looks amazingly delicious and easy. I can see what it’s so popular! I need to try it out ASAP!
I’ve got this in the oven RIGHT NOW!!! I can’t wait to eat it!
Oh, and I used Cornish Game Hens instead of chicken because my freezer broke the other day and I’m having to use up a lot of different meats I had in there. 🙂
Hi,
I cannot eat Olive Oil !! Is there any good replacement oil I can use without totally destroying the the taste of the recipe ?
Ronaldhillegonds@gmail.com
Hi Ronald! What about trying Avocado Oil? Or melted coconut oil (the kind that has been refined to be less “coconuty”- I bet that would be delicious! While not the healthiest choice, you could always go with vegetable oil.
Grapeseed oil.
The spices on this sound absolutely FABULOUS!! What a great dinner.
I cannot find greek oregano. Can you use fresh or dried oregano?
This was the best! I was tempted to not use the whole cup of oil but I followed the recipe and it came out great! Thanks Heather
So glad Ann!!
I tried this recipe tonight, and the skin and potatoes did NOT crisp up. It was in at 350 or 1.25 hours. If I made this again, I think I would cook it on convection at 375…
Phe-freakin-nomenal. I made it exactly as written and it could not have been better. My wife doesn’t cook, which I’m extremely grateful, and she asked if we could have this again tomorrow. This recipe is definitely in the rotation. Thank you, Heather.
AWESOME!!!!!
Made the chicken last nite. Very good and tasty. The recipe however is very confusing and needs work. I’m not a novice but is should be clear and concise, and it’s not.
The recipe is beyond easy and clear. I am a novice as well. What part of the recipe did you find confusing?
Thank you Claudia!!
Hi Heather,
I so want to make this! Just from the looks of the recipe it reminds me of our times in Athens…yummm! My question is this: How much would it alter the recipe if I used regular (American) Oregano instead of Greek Oregano? I don’t have Greek Oregano but will get some if the taste really depends upon it.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Meg! Absolutely still make the recipe! Greek oregano just tends to be a little stonger but its still delicious no matter what!
I use Mexican Oregano and it’s great! Very fragrant!
I’ve made this three times: I love it too! Thanks, Heather! From another Heather 🙂
thank you Heather!!
I need best chicken and potatoes recipe sent to my Email
Your Greek Chicken recipe will be the only one I follow again & again! Thank you!
I made it a few weeks ago and was asked to make it again so we had it for dinner yesterday. I must add that, although I love cooking (and eating lol), cooking chicken usually intimidates me. But your video completely set my mind at ease and I tackled it successfully!
I would like to ask however, how much longer that 90 mins do you find it takes to achieve the golden brown, carmelized garlic finished product? I had to pull my chicken out & set it under the broiler for a few minutes to finish it off nicely. My method however caused me to lose the added browning flavor of the garlic & oil that I see you ultimately achieved in the video.
PS: Any chance you have, or can add, a recipe for Athenian Skirt Steak?
I have more of a question then a comment. Do you ever flip the chicken or stir the potatoes during the cooking time? I’m going to make this for Easter dinner. It looks delicious!
Nope Lisa! It is the best, because you can truly not worry about any of that! You just stick it in the oven and forget about it!
I made this recipe for Sunday night dinner with friends and it was a huge hit! It was so easy since I prepped the chicken and sauce separately ahead of time. So quick to pull together and pop in the oven. Thank you Heather! You made me look like a pro!
Made this and my family DEVOURED IT- made chicken salad out of the meat left on the bone( because that is all that was left!) used a 7lb chicken and it took exactly 100mins (I places sliced onion under the chicken and put 1/2 cup of white wine in the marinade)
Loved this recipe, the potatoes are I die for . I used British new potatoes, they worked really well. Thank you
Heather,
I want to make this recipe w/ chicken drumsticks & my potatoes are smaller. Is that ok? If so, how long should I cook the chicken & potatoes. I think 90 min will be too long.
I spent 4 year in Greece while in the Air Force and this recipe is one i had many times and is my favorite way to do chicken. Do not leave the lemon out, that is the key ingredient that makes this chicken so good! This recipe is true to the greek original. You will love it.
This is something my mom made all the time when I was growing up, and us kids never tired of it! My husband and I still love to cook, even with the kids grown and gone, and with chicken, leftovers are always welcome. Thanks for sharing!
Your pictures of your dishes are so colorful and pretty.
Delightful recipe that worked beautifully well! All that olive oil? Yup. It worked its magic. Everyone LOVED it! Will now be in our meal rotation. Thank you!
Thank you so much Carolyn! Very Happy To hear it!
Used boneless chicken cut into cubes and added small carrots. Excellent!
I love your blog! Have also told friends and family to look you up. It is very easy to navigate, and I have spent hours reading your yummy recipes.
This recipe was superb! I mixed the olive oil, oregano, lemon, garlic, chopped parsley, salt and pepper together, and put it all over chicken and potatoes on baking pan. Yum!
Very nice!! Crumbled feta over the chicken after cooked is a nice add on. Also, I used Idaho russet and they cook differently. Better to cut them in 1/8ths so they’re done in time.
This sounds fantastic! I’m going to start the marinade right now for dinner tomorrow
Just so delicious! I love it and did it yesterday. We’ve already made 2 times in 2 days bcz my boy love it much. Thanks for your recipe!!
looks amazing
That good idea, I made it. It’s gorgeous, so I will make again and again. Thanks for recipe!
Great meal for a chilly day!
This turned out great! I’ve made this in the past but never perfected getting the potatoes crispy. Thanks for sharing!
I looked at the video, went to the store for the ingredients. Then read the recipe.
Why are they sooo diffrent?
One of my boys actually asked where I bought this chicken from tonight (how rude). Absolute winner – always do Greek food – this was just so easy quick and os goood . Thank you
Hi! This recipe looks delicious. I would like to use deboned chicken thighs. How long would you cook this for?
Thank You!