CULINARY SOS: Opa! Lemon adds zing to Greek-style chicken dish
Dear SOS: Old Venice in Manhattan Beach, Calif., makes excellent Greek and Italian food, but its lemon chicken, from the Greek side of the menu, is especially wonderful. I can still taste the delicious sauce. Any chance of getting the recipe? I’d love to make it for my foreign dinner group.
Phyllis Ruderman, Manhattan Beach
Dear Phyllis: Old Venice was happy to share its recipe with us, which we’ve adapted below. Enjoy!
OLD VENICE’S GREEK LEMON CHICKEN
—
Yield: 4-6 servings
1 (3 1/2- to 4 1/2-pound) chicken
Salt and pepper
2 pounds boiling potatoes
2 large lemons
Heaping tablespoon Greek oregano
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and dry chicken. Halve or quarter it and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.
2. Peel and cut potatoes into wedges. In bowl, toss them with 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, or to taste.
3. Place chicken, skin-side down, in roasting pan, and scatter potatoes around it. Halve lemons and squeeze them over chicken and potatoes. Sprinkle with oregano. Drizzle with oil and water.
4. Roast chicken 20 minutes, then turn it skin-side up. Continue to roast 40 more minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to roast about 8-10 more minutes, until chicken is golden and crisp, and thermometer inserted deep into thigh reads 165 degrees.
5. Cool slightly before serving. Serve chicken and potatoes together, spooning a little sauce over each serving.
Nutrition data per each of 6 servings: 545 calories; 34 grams protein; 28 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 33 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 122 mg cholesterol; 2 grams sugar; 781 mg sodium.
