Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Greek Lemon Chicken

This chicken is so full of flavor and tastyness, I couldn't believe it. Maybe I was just really craving Mediterranean food, but I was really impressed with this little recipe! It is so easy to make: another dish you can make using FROZEN chicken! I'm totally on this frozen chicken kick. I got this recipe from a cookbook I received over email, and I just added feta cheese to it after seeing a similar recipe in the same book and used less salt since feta is salty on its own. The chicken is fabulous and tender, and the potatoes have a wonderful crispy outside and tender center. The sauce is delicious.

I used a lot less salt than the recipe calls for, and thought it was salty enough, especially with the addition of feta cheese.

Greek Lemon Chicken
Adapted from a recipe in Simple Suppers for Busy Moms

I N G R E D I E N T S :
5-6 chicken quarters (or chicken breasts-I used frozen chicken breast)
3-4 lbs. small redskin potatoes (I used medium sized red potatoes and quartered them)
1 cup lemon juice but the person who submitted it only used 1/2 cup and it seemed like plenty (I agree)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. salt (I would only use about 2 tsp. when adding feta cheese, and I might still decrease the amount if I weren't)
1 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. garlic, granulated (or about 4 small-medium cloves, minced)
1 tsp. paprika (optional, but I liked the color it gives)
2 Tbsp. oregano
Feta cheese-I added this but didn't measure how much..I just sprinkled about 1/3 of a small package on top.

D I R E C T I O N S :

Place chicken in deep baking pan. Surround with potatoes. In a separate bowl, combine lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and oregano. Stir to combine all ingredients and drizzle mixture over chicken and potatoes. Cover with foil and bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for an additional 1/2 hour to achieve a crisp light brown texture*. Serve hot. Serves 5-6.

*Even though I used frozen chicken, I still cooked it at the same temperature and amount of time, and it was fully cooked and tender. But if your frozen meat is really thick, check for doneness (or about 170 degrees). If you need to cook it longer, place the foil back on it so it does not get burnt.

Note from original cookbook: You can substitute other cuts of chicken. Boned chicken is the most flavorful.

1 comment:

Anca said...

Ummm....YUM! I made this yesterday for company (my aunt & uncle were in town) & since Cort & I went out on a date, I left it for them to have for dinner. I came home & had to try it though---delicious! They loved it also (called me a "good cook"--ha, that's funny).

I also had to end up using a big metal cookie sheet (industrial size) as a 9X13 pan did not hold all my ingredients. Also, I added some white wine to the sauce--gave it good "zing"...and I definately recommend using all the lemon juice--really pops against the saltiness.

This is a very impressive looking dish! Next time I plan to garnish it with lemon wedges. Since I grew up eating Mediterranean food, I went all out with the real feta--and I'm a feta snob--no Kroger feta brand--the actual Bulgarian stuff is best! In doing so, I made a big mistake....I should have ommitted the salt as you recommended.

Thanks for the recipe. This is a real winner & keeper in our house. Is terrific served with a crisp salad. Great to impress company with too....