![Sheet-Pan Baked Feta With Broccolini, Tomatoes and Lemon](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/12/28/dining/yf-baked-feta/yf-baked-feta-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Lemony Chicken With Potatoes and Oregano
![Lemony Chicken With Potatoes and Oregano](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/06/22/dining/21beginner-rex6/merlin_208160658_716f60b3-1852-47a2-a774-c4fcf6525328-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 2lemons
- 1¼pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 to 3), patted dry with paper towels (see Tip)
- 1¼pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, halved and cut into ½-inch wedges
- 1¾teaspoons dried oregano, plus more for serving
- 1½teaspoons 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
Preparation
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
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!
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.
This seems like a dish that’s crying out for garlic. Has anyone tried that?
One way to avoid touching the raw chicken is to use tongs to gently toss the chicken, oil, and potatoes together. Use a tong to transfer the raw chicken to the sheet pan. Whenever I start a cooking a meal that includes raw meat, I always first run a sink full of hot, soapy water. That way, I can drop any thing that has touched the raw meat into the water as I am going along.
I grew up with this recipe, albeit minus the potatoes, marinating the chicken in oregano/thyme/whole garlic cloves/lemon etc. for a few hours or even overnight and then grilled and served with rice. Doing this in the oven with potatoes roasted in the juices/chicken fat was a revelation. Crispy, golden delicious bits, and so easy! Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
I surprised this recipe isn’t rated five stars because it is THAT good, as well as easy. I’ve made it three times since it’s discovery and added 1/2 inch slices of onion to the mix. Outstanding! Throw everything in a bowl and spread out on a baking sheet. How good can it get?
I complete understand not wanting to turn on your oven as I live in Phoenix AZ. When I try recipes in my air fryer .... I divide the cooking time in half. Cook at same temp as you would in oven. Test small piece. Add 5 minutes if not done. I have found this works for most recipes.
I'd brine the breasts for at least an hour (or in the morning before work or even overnight; they'll be ready for dinner time) for 2 breasts, use 2 cups water, 1 Tbsp salt and 1 Tbsp sugar), then roast ONLY the potatoes for the first 15 minutes, then add the chicken. Use a meat thermometer to be sure the chicken is 157-160F before removing it from the oven (It will reach 165F by the time it's on the plate). Enjoy!
Love this. I've been making a variation for years but due to trying to minimize carbs subbing artichokes for potatoes and when I have them olives or capers. Sliced or grated garlic never hurts either.
This is basically a Greek chicken dish. Definitely needs garlic and salt for authenticity and more deliciousness. Not essential but I’d also pre- boil the potatoes, dry, and shake in the pan before adding to the marinade - but separately from the chicken
No need to tinker with this recipe. The taste of caramelized lemon offsets the mild pungency of oregano to elevate the humble potato to new heights. Chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside and redolent of just a touch of lemon. I ate this with a simple arugula-parmesan salad (from this site). Delicious and guest worthy (but double the recipe.)
We do pretty much the same thing on a gas grill, or the Weber kettle. Marinate the chicken in lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and oregano then carefully grill. For a whole chicken split in half, marinate at least an hour or so then pre-heat gas grill on medium and cook for about 15 mites a side, starting skin side up. Roast potatoes or rice, salad and a good rose round out the meal.
Should have written artichoke HEARTS!
I would love to make this recipe, but it's fixing to be 100 degrees today. I would think this can be made in an air fryer, which doesn't heat the house up nearly as much. Any suggestions for time and temperature?
We're preparing, not operating on the chicken. Think about the amount of waste you're creating. A good hand-washing with soap and water is really fine. BTW, some people have latex allergies that can cause anaphylactic shock!
Have made this several times now. I double the recipe (at least) and spread out over 2 baking sheets and blending everything together (as opposed to potatoes and chicken separate). It is spectacularly delicious. Not to mention easy.
Easy and tasty. What more could you ask for?
Whoops, forgot to mention, per a commenter's suggestion, I added 1/2" onion slices and a few whole cloves of garlic. That was a very good suggestion, thanks.
Had a 2-pack of bone-in skin on-chicken breasts from Whole Foods. One was 3 times the size of the other, so I evened the pieces up. This dish did not disappoint. Fantastic. 30 minutes, everything else pretty much as written. I didn't measure, just eye-balled it. The potatoes were to die for. The left-over chicken, moist and delicious. Sent the recipe to my daughters and a grandson who likes to cook. Another Melissa Clark home run. Thank you so much!
Good but bland
This is one of the best meals we have on rotation. I add minced garlic and whatever extra veggies I have on hand, plus some feta. It’s so easy and adaptable and absolutely delicious. One of the best sheet pan dinners out there.
Great meal and easy to put together. Good for company, too
Wasn't overly impressed, not more than the sum of its parts.
I tossed the chicken and the potatoes separate, using double lemon. Then I put the potatoes on a rack above the chicken in the oven and it solved a lot of the food safety concerns mentioned in the notes here.
Really really good! Used bone-in breasts over small round potatoes that I left whole, along with quartered small spring onions. Served with roasted asparagus. Good, easy, and gratifying.
Yay! This recipe works exactly as stated. It is a keeper.
This was insanely good and so easy - was thrilled to not have to mince any garlic the way I have to for seemingly every recipe. Amazed at how flavorful it was for so few & simple ingredients.
Also - don’t listen to some of the comments about discarding the little bits of lemon. They ended up being maybe my favorite part. So delicious and crispy in bits, and after cooking with the chicken and potatoes they lose most of their mouth puckering sourness.
I need to trust sheet pan with potatoes. Everything cooked perfectly. Made salad and that was that
Cooked exactly as written. I’m a fanatic lemon/chicken fan, so no surprise I found this a five star. I will probably add many crushed garlic cloves the next time, but may I say the potatoes were perfect? I used some leftover garlic aioli from another NYT recipe as the dipping sauce. Splendid.
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