This easy baked Greek chicken and potatoes is a family favorite! The secret is in the lemon-garlic sauce which doubles up as a marinade. Whether you choose to marinate the chicken for a couple of hours (I usually don’t) or cook it right away, the flavors will surprise you in the best way possible.
Greek chicken makes an appearance on my dinner table pretty frequently. In many forms. From tender Souvlaki skewers to Greek chicken gyro or a quick skillet chicken covered in a tasty yogurt chicken marinade.
Ah, but if it’s a special, comforting meal we need, Greek chicken and potatoes it is!
This easy Greek chicken recipe hits all the right flavor notes, thanks to a couple of Greek spices and a tasty lemon-garlic sauce that can also double as a marinade (although, luckily, you don’t have to marinate this chicken for hours, it can go right in the oven)!
Ingredients for this Greek Chicken Recipe
- Chicken- 3 pounds of chicken. For best flavor, use bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces. You can also portion a whole small chicken into pieces to use in this recipe.
- Potatoes- 4 gold potatoes scrubbed clean and cut into wedges (Greek-style roasted potatoes are typically cut into wedges).
- Onion- 1 medium yellow onion, halved and cut into wedges to mimic the look of the potatoes
- Lemon-Garlic Sauce- This is where all the glorious flavor in this Greek chicken recipe comes from. The sauce is made of Greek extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, loads of garlic (anywhere from 8 to 12 garlic cloves, minced), 1 1/2 tablespoons dry rosemary (or dry oregano), and a pinch of nutmeg. Tip: this can also act as your Greek chicken marinade, if you want to work ahead and marinate the chicken in the fridge for a few hours.
- Chicken broth- anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup chicken broth poured in the pan helps cook the potatoes to tender perfect and it also keeps the chicken tender and juicy while baking.
- Lemon slices- Can’t have enough lemons in a Greek chicken dinner! Lemon slices act as a pretty garnish but as they bake over the chicken, they also impart great flavor.
- Garnish- fresh parsley and a few pitted kalamata olives two optional ingredients that add a good pop of color and some more Greek flavor are
How to Make Greek Chicken: Step-by-Step
Time needed: 1 hour and 15 minutes
How to make Greek chicken (print-friendly recipe with exact measurements below)
- Heat oven and season the chicken
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange a rack right in the middle.
Season the chicken with kosher salt on all sides. Tip: for best flavor, make sure to lift up the chicken skins and season underneath.
- Arrange potatoes and onions in baking dish
Slice the potatoes and onions into wedges. Arrange them in your baking dish. Season with kosher salt and black pepper
- Make the lemon garlic sauce
In a bowl or a measuring cup, add extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, dried rosemary and nutmeg (you can also use a bit of dried oregano instead of rosemary).
- Add chicken, sauce, and broth to the baking pan
Arrange the chicken pieces in the baking dish or pan. Pour the lemon garlic sauce evenly all over the chicken and potatoes. Arrange lemon slices on top. From one side of the pan, add in about 1 cup chicken broth (but do not pour over the chicken)
- Bake!
Bake in heated oven uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken and potatoes are tender. (Chicken’s internal temperature should register at 165 degrees F). NOTE: If the potatoes are not fully done at this point, you can raise the oven temperature to 425°F and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes (make sure to remove the chicken breast pieces that are fully cooked so they don’t get dry). To get more color on the chicken, place the pan under the broiler briefly to allow the chicken skins to gain more color (watch carefully).If you like, place the pan under the broiler briefly to allow the chicken skins to gain more color (watch carefully).
Greek Chicken Marinade Option
Like I said earlier, in this recipe, you do not need to marinate the chicken for hours in advance. But if you like, you can apply the lemon garlic sauce to the chicken a few hours before you are ready to bake it and keep it in the fridge. Marinade ingredients (same as lemon-garlic sauce ingredients used here):
- 1/4 cup Greek extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 8 to 12 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dried rosemary or dried oregano (or if you like, a bit of each)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
To marinate the chicken, mix all the above together and pour it over the chicken (lift chicken skins up to get some goodness underneath). Cover and leave in the fridge for a couple hours or so.
When ready, add the chicken to the potatoes and onions and follow the recipe for baking instructions.
What to Serve with Greek Chicken?
This baked chicken and potatoes doesn’t require much to turn into a fun Greek feast. Serve it with a side of Greek salad and Tzatziki sauce. If you like, add some warm pita bread. That’s it!
Watch the video for this Greek chicken recipe:
More chicken recipes you might like: grilled whole chicken, and baked cornish game hen.
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Greek Chicken and Potatoes Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves up to 6
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy Greek chicken and potatoes recipe is a family favorite. The secret is in the lemon-garlic sauce, which doubles up as a marinade. Whether you choose to marinate the chicken for a couple of hours (I usually don’t) or cook it right away, the flavors will surprise you in the best way possible.
Ingredients
For Chicken and Potatoes
- 3 lb chicken pieces, bone in and skin on (I used 2 smaller breasts and 3 legs)
- Salt
- 4 gold potatoes (about 2 lb), scrubbed clean, cut into thin wedges
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved then sliced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 6 to 12 pitted quality kalamata olives, optional
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
For the Lemon-Garlic Sauce (can also be used as marinade)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 12 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary (or dried oregano)
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Sides (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt (lift the skins and apply salt underneath as well). (see optional step in notes)
- Arrange potato wedges and onions in the bottom of a baking dish or pan. Season with salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Add the chicken pieces (see optional step in notes).
- Make the lemon-garlic sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice, minced garlic, rosemary, and nutmeg. Pour evenly over the chicken and potatoes.
- Arrange lemon slices on top. Pour chicken broth into the pan from one side (do not pour broth over the chicken).
- Bake in heated oven uncovered for 45 to 1 hour or until chicken and potatoes are tender. NOTE: If the potatoes are not fully done at this point, you can raise the oven temperature to 425°F and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes (make sure to remove the chicken breast pieces that are fully cooked so they don’t get dry). To get more color on the chicken, place the pan under the broiler briefly to allow the chicken skins to gain more color (watch carefully).
- Remove from heat and add kalamata olives, if you like. Garnish with a little bit of fresh parsley.
- Serve with Greek salad Taztaziki sauce and a side of pita bread, if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- Optional Step: If you’d like to get even more crisp and color on the chicken pieces, sear the chicken pieces in a bit of extra virgin olive oil before adding them to the potato pan (do this step before step #4). To do this, simply heat about 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken skin-side down to brown (about 5 t0 7 minutes,) then flip over and sear briefly, another 3 minutes or so. Transfer from skillet to the prepared pan with the potatoes. This step is not necessary if you plan to broil the chicken briefly at the end.
- To marinate the chicken in advance: if you have the time and want to use the lemon-garlic sauce as a marinade for the Greek chicken, you can. Simply add the lemon-garlic sauce it to the chicken a couple hours in advance, cover and refrigerate. When you’re ready to bake, add the marinated chicken to the potatoes and onions and follow the recipe from there.
- Visit Our Online Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils and spices used in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Greek
This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2017 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers benefit. Enjoy!
Just made this tonight! yum!
Thank you 🙂
The lemon garlic sauce is the highlight of this dish. It just brings it all together and it looks simply delicious.
Thanks so much, Andrea!
I love how this is a whole meal, and the flavors are so rich and comforting.
So glad you enjoyed it, Marlynn!
The flavors are beautiful in this gorgeous Greek chicken dish. I served this with some pita breads and my family were raving about it. 🙂
That’s awesome to hear! Thanks, Anita!
That looks so good! Such a simple yet flavorful recipe.
Enjoy! 🙂
Made this and everyone loved the fresh and warm flavors! The chicken was also perfectly juicy. Will definitely be making again!
So glad you all liked it! Thanks, Emily!
I loved this chicken dish! My family is already asking for me to make it again!
Awesome!! So great to hear!
Hey Suzy, I love your recipes. In this one I have a question. The garlic-lemon sauce ingredient list says 1/4 cup olive oil, step 4 says 1/2 cup olive oil. Which is it?
You only need 1/4 cup olive oil. Thanks for catching the typo. I’ll correct it.
I love how flavorful this is!! So good!
Thank you, Toni!
The sauce is so amazing! Goes so well over the chicken!
So glad you loved it, Ashley!
Yummy! Perfect comfort food for this not quite spring not quite winter weather we’re having here! So so good!
Thanks, Lisalia!
I can’t even tell you how much we loved this. I love Greek food so much!
Aww! Thanks, Lauren!
Delecios food
Thanks, Eric!
Not very easy to understand what to do with broth and lemon?
Wanda, thanks for asking. Please refer to step #6 in the recipe card.
Cooked this for the family and it was a hit. Only problem is 350 F seemed a little low it took longer than the 45mins, nearly 65mins. Other than that it was great.
Thanks, Wil! Glad everyone liked it!
Our favorite dinner dish, we make it at least once a month! We use leftovers and make a soup too!
Awesome! What a great idea!!!!