Roasted Lemon Chicken with Coriander Potatoes

Roasted Lemon Chicken with Coriander Potatoes

Roasted Lemon Chicken with Coriander Potatoes is an easy Sunday meal that I prepare for my family year around. The convenience of a one-pan meal, in which the chicken and the potatoes can be ready in 45 minutes, makes this dish very appealing and comforting at the same time.

In order for the chicken to cook evenly and quickly, I remove the backbone (spine) using sharp kitchen shears.  This method is called spatchcocking (or butterflying) and makes for a juicy and crisp chicken, that produces its own delicious pan juices – in this case, infused with lemon, garlic and herbs.

This roasted lemon chicken can be cooked alongside a variety of vegetables.  Small, New Potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes with coriander seeds are truly delicious and a great accompaniment to the chicken.

Roasted Lemon Chicken with Coriander Potatoes

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Main Dish

Cuisine: Greek

Serves: 1 whole chicken

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• ⅓ cup dry white wine
• 1 TBSP. grated lemon zest
• 2 TBSP. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1½ tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• --- --- freshly ground pepper
• 1 3½ lb. chicken, butterflied and flattened (see note below)
• 1 med. lemon
• 2 TBSP. coriander seeds
• 2 Lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, cut up in pieces
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• --- pepper to taste
• --- juice of one lemon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 2-3 minutes but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir well and remove from heat. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
3. Place the butterflied chicken on a cutting board. Flatten chicken by placing it skin side up on cutting board and applying firm pressure to breast bone. Pat it dry and place over the sauce. Brush the chicken with some of the lemon-olive oil mixture and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it around the chicken.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, place it under the broiler for 2 minutes.
5. Remove it from the oven. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes. (Do not skip this step.) Serve hot with the pan juices.
6. Meanwhile, while the chicken is roasting, prepare the potatoes: In a small skillet and over medium heat, toast the coriander seeds, shaking the skillet until the seeds are fragrant and slightly darker, about 3-5 minutes. Cool. Transfer the coriander to re-sealable plastic bag and using a mallet, crush coarsely.
7. Cut the potatoes into 1½" cubes. Transfer to a bowl, along with the coriander seeds, the olive oil, the seasoning and the juice of one lemon. Toss well.
8. While the chicken is resting, place the potatoes in the same pan as the chicken and roast until tender when pierced with the fork, stirring occasionally, about 30-45 minutes, depending on their size.

Notes

Notes: Flattened chicken cooks faster and more evenly. To do that, stand it upright on a cutting board and cut out the backbone with a sharp kitchen knife. You can also ask your butcher to do that. Make sure to save the backbone for stock.

If you have a larger pan, you can add the potatoes in the same pan, next to the chicken, about half an hour before the chicken is ready!

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