Sheet Pan Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

It’s the first Friday in June. June 2nd, to be exact. And, apparently, today is national “leave work early” day. (True story. You can look it up.) I’m never one to not honor a national holiday … or, national day … or, a made up by social media “day”. Soo … I’m leaving work early to spend the weekend with my family on the shores of Southwest Michigan. Coming for ya Bakken clan.

The above paragraph has little to do with this deliciously simple and flavorful recipe. I just felt the need to divulge … and pay tribute to our “national holiday”.

I love cooking meals on sheet pans. You will too after you follow this recipe. Healthy, minimal prep/clean up, and the pretty presentation. A beautiful food painting on a canvas … made of metal.

Greek lemon Chicken and Potatoes

Anyway … the point is … this is delicious! I know it’s extremely cliché to call perfectly cooked meat “super tender” … but that’s what this chicken is. And nobody ever complained about eating anything that was super tender and perfectly cooked (and Greek). At least, nobody I know. So, just put everything on the same tray, pop it in the oven, and enjoy deliciousness. What would be easier for us “leave work early” slackers?

Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes 2

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 lemons, juiced
10 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red onion, cut into wedges
2 tbsp dried oregano
3/4 cup olive oil
6 medium Yukon gold potatoes
salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place chicken skin side up on a large sheet pan. If you do not have a large sheet plan, split onto two smaller sheet pans.
Combine half of the lemon juice (1 lemon), 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 tbsp dried oregano, and half of the minced garlic (5 cloves) in a small bowl; pour over the chicken pieces. Toss chicken so sauce gets on both sides.
Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Cut the potatoes into quarters (you can peel them or not). Place in a bowl.
To the potatoes, add the remaining olive oil (1/2 cup), oregano (1 tbsp), lemon juice (1 lemon) and minced garlic (5 cloves). Season with salt and pepper and toss until well coated.
Add the potatoes onto the sheet pan with the chicken, including all of the sauce.
Nestle the onion wedges between the chicken and potatoes.
Roast for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes and onions are golden and crispy.
I like to serve this dish with fresh lemon wedges straight off the sheet pan. Easy peasy! Just be sure to scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the sheet pan as you serve – they are the best.
Serve with homemade tzatziki and a fresh green salad.