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Greece, Europe · Kotopoulo lemonato (Greek lemon chicken with potatoes)

Crispy-Skin Kotopoulo Lemonato with Lemon Butter Pan Sauce

A restaurant-style lemonato: dry-brined thighs seared until crisp, roasted over parboiled potatoes and lemony stock, finished with a reduced butter pan sauce.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time1 h 5 min
Dry-brining+ 1 h
DifficultyHard
About servingsChicken must be cooked right through. Wash your hands, board and knife straight after handling raw chicken.

Method

  1. Pat the chicken thoroughly dry and rub it all over with the salt, pepper and half the oregano. Set it skin side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered for ; the skin dries out and crisps far better.

    Add in this stepBone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 600 gCoarse sea salt (for dry-brining) 1 tspBlack pepper ½ tspDried oregano ¾ tsp

  2. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Cut the potatoes into 3 cm wedges, put them in a pot of cold water with the salt, bring to the boil on high heat and cook for , just until the edges soften but the centres are still firm. Drain in a colander and shake a few times to rough up the surfaces; those rough edges are what turn crisp.

    Add in this stepFloury potatoes 500 gSalt (for the potato water) 1½ tsp

    oven→high heat

  3. Heat a little of the olive oil in a 26 cm ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Lay the chicken in skin side down and leave it untouched for , until the skin is deep golden and releases easily. Sear in two batches if it doesn't fit without crowding. It spits, so stand back and use a lid as a shield.

    Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil ¾ tbsp

    medium-high heat

  4. Mix the lemon juice, remaining olive oil, crushed garlic, remaining oregano, mustard and stock in a bowl. Pour it into the hot pan you seared the chicken in and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon.

    Add in this stepLemons (juice) 1½Extra virgin olive oil 1¾ tbspGarlic cloves, crushed with a knife 4Dried oregano ¾ tspDijon mustard 1 tspChicken stock 200 ml

  5. Spread the potatoes in one layer in a 25×20 cm roasting tin and pour the sauce over. Tuck in the lemon slices and set the chicken on top of the potatoes, skin side up and clear of the liquid. Roast in the oven for , until the thickest part reaches 75 °C and the potato edges are brown and crisp.

    Add in this stepLemon, thinly sliced (for roasting) ½

    oven

  6. Move the chicken and potatoes to a platter and rest for 5 minutes. Pour the tin juices into a small pot and reduce over medium heat for until slightly syrupy, then turn off the heat and swirl in the cold butter until glossy. Stir in the parsley and spoon over the chicken.

    Add in this stepCold butter 15 gFlat-leaf parsley, chopped 2 tbsp

    medium heat

Cook's tip

Don't skip the uncovered rest in the fridge: it is the secret to crisp skin. Overcooked potatoes fall apart, so drain them as soon as the edges soften. Once the butter is in, don't let the sauce boil again or it will split.

Cooking it at camp

With one cast-iron pan you can sear the chicken on the burner, then add the potatoes and sauce, cover and roast it over charcoal like a Dutch oven. Parboil and cool the potatoes at home and bring the brined chicken in the cooler. Always check for 75 °C near the bone.