Easy Greek Chicken And Potatoes
on Mar 16, 2022, Updated Sep 05, 2023
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Greek chicken and potatoes is the best crowd pleasing Greek chicken recipe! Just throw chicken thighs and potatoes into a pan, pour over a lemon, olive oil and oregano marinade, and bake. Made with just 6 ingredients, it’s perfect for a midweek meal, but impressive enough for guests. Don’t forget a Greek salad on the side!
Why you’ll love it
Transport yourself to sunny Greece! One of the fastest ways to imagine yourself eating in Greece in a cute taverna with blue wooden chairs is to make this easy Greek chicken and potatoes.
It’s one of the simplest every day meals in Greece. If you’d grown up there, something like this would have appeared on the dinner table regularly (along with this similar Greek biftekia and potatoes!).
But while this is an authentic Greek recipe (which is what you can proudly tell your friends when they’re tucking into it!), It doesn’t have a fancy name. It’s just called roasted Greek chicken and potatoes!
In Greek it’s called ‘kotopoulo me patatas’ or Κοτόπουλο με Πατάτες in case you want to impress your friends!
You could say it’s the Greek aunt of this simple stove top chicken and rice.
This is one of the many reasons I love Greek food so much. It often doesn’t sound (or even look) anything special, but one bite and you’ll be blown away…
- It’s a one pan meal. And who doesn’t love those?
- You only need about 10 minutes hands on time to make it.
- It’s a 6-ingredient recipe made with everyday ingredients. Buy some chicken thighs and a lemon and you probably have everything else already.
- It’s a crowd pleaser. Who wouldn’t enjoy juicy chicken thighs marinated in lemon and simple Greek flavours with yummy crispy potatoes? Even the pickiest eaters will love it.
- It’s easy – but it’s impressive! Serve it as a super easy midweek meal for your family, or for guests with a Greek salad, crusty fresh bread and tzatziki sauce. It’ll look like a Greek feast!
- You can prepare the potatoes and marinade ahead. All you have to do when you’re ready to eat is pop the potatoes in the oven for 20 minutes, nestle in the chicken, then pour over the marinade and bake.
- It’s an easy and super delicious way to try out the Mediterranean diet! (Hello olive oil, oregano, and super healthy Greek salad ingredients!)
Ingredients
This is all you need (I told you it was easy):
- potatoes roughly sliced into chunky wedges: Leave the skins on, or peel them – your choice.
- skinless boneless chicken thighs
For the Greek chicken marinade:
- the juice and zest of a lemon
- lots of olive oil (but it doesn’t taste oily)
- dried oregano
And finally:
- plenty of salt & pepper
Yep, just 6 ingredients!
Pro tip: Grind more salt over this dish than you would usually. Just trust me on this one!
How do you make Greek chicken and potatoes?
You only need to follow 5 simple steps to get this on your dinner table in about an hour (with only about 10 minutes hands-on time!)
Step 1: Toss some potato wedges in olive oil, then roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. To give them a head start! (Photo 1)
Step 2: Make the easy Greek marinade. (Photo 2)
Step 3: Nestle chicken thighs in among the part cooked potatoes (Photo 3), then drizzle over the marinade. Mostly over the chicken, but it doesn’t matter if some goes over the potatoes too. (Photo 4)
Step 4: Drizzle the whole dish with the delicious Greek chicken marinade. (Photo 4)
Step 5: Tuck the used lemon halves into the pan as well, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 minutes. (Photos 5 and 6)
Note about the marinade: As you make the marinade, you might be thinking it’s a lot of oil to use.
But again, trust me. As the chicken cooks, the juices run into the marinade and create the most delicious lemon oregano ‘sauce’ to mop up with your bread.
The oven does most of the work. And that’s where the magic happens. While the dish is baking, the juices from the chicken mix with the marinade to make the most incredible ‘sauce’. They also run into the potatoes and make them perfectly tasty, tender, and crispy.
What to serve with this meal
The best way to serve this amazing Greek lemon chicken dinner is with:
- a traditional Greek salad (see this post: how to make a Greek salad for a perfect recipe and how-to video!) or, alternatively, this super simple Greek lettuce salad (maroulosalata).
- fresh crusty bread. We like to serve this 2-minute toasted bread with olive oil and salt. Got more time? Try Greek bread!
- tsatziki sauce (or just Greek yogurt if you like – that’s what I usually serve!)
Don’t skip these amazing Greek side dishes. They turn a good meal into a fantastic meal – one you can just as equally enjoy as an easy midweek meal, or as a delicious Mediterranean feast to serve to guests.
On that note, if you’re having a Greek dinner party, check out this list of 15 easy Greek appetizers. You’re bound to find something you like there!
Make sure you have a bit of everything on your fork, including some feta from the salad and a bit of Greek yogurt or tzatziki. Then close your eyes and imagine yourself at a taverna at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens.
Helen’s Top tips
- After you’ve made this Greek chicken and lemon potatoes a couple of times, you could probably make it without the recipe. Have you added a little more or less of each ingredient? No problem!
- You will find that the potatoes are half crispy and half soaked in the delicious lemon oregano ‘sauce’. This is exactly how they are supposed to be. Enjoy!
- If you find your potatoes stick to the pan a bit (or a lot), no problem! In fact, all the better. Scrape up all those delicious crispy bits and the person who gets them will be one very happy diner!
Recipe FAQs
Honestly? It really doesn’t matter. I’ve used every kind of potato imaginable, and they all work well. The best thing about this dish is that it’s super super easy. Which means you use whatever you already have or like!
Run out of oregano, or running short? No problem! You can use thyme, basil or marjoram instead. For more options, check out this list of 20 oregano substitutes.
To be honest, I’ve used so many different kinds of dishes for this! The main thing is that you don’t want the chicken and potatoes to be too crowded. I find that the best size dish is a 9 x 11 inch baking dish or equivalent.
If you want to serve more people, simply double the ingredients and use either a huge baking dish or two dishes if you prefer.
Yes, actually you can! I usually use boneless chicken thighs but I find them easier to eat. But if you use bone in skin on thighs arguably your meal will be even more juicy and delicious!
The cooking time should be the same. Just check with a meat thermometer in the deepest part of the thigh that the temperature is at least 165F.
Absolutely! What I usually do is prepare the marinade and pop it in the fridge until I want to use it. Then I prepare the potatoes, put them in the baking dish and keep that covered in the fridge too.
Then all I have to do to finish off this amazing meal is pre-cook the potatoes, then tuck the chicken in with the potatoes, then pour the marinade over and roast!
This is what makes this such a great meal for entertaining!
Another great thing about this meal is that it keeps really well once it’s cooked. It will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. When you want to eat the leftovers, just reheat as described below! All you’ll have to do is make a fresh Greek salad!
Surprisingly… yes! I usually just reheat the Greek potatoes and chicken slowly (on 50% power) in the microwave. There are fewer crispy bits, but it’s more intensely flavoured by the marinade by the second day.
FORGET THE CHICKEN, JUST FEED ME POTATOES! If you just need a potato side dish that’s easy but a little bit different, try these amazing crispy Greek potatoes. They truly are the best! Serve with chicken, fish, steak, anything…
More amazing Greek meals
- Greek oven baked fish (your new favourite way to cook fish!)
- One pan Greek couscous with halloumi (a vegetarian option)
- Greek lamb with lemony garlic potatoes (highly recommended if you’re looking to impress!)
- Baked Greek chicken orzo (another tasty one pot chicken dinner)
- Quick lemony baked feta chicken (5-minute prep!)
Or if you’re just enjoying the whole Greek food vibe in this post, you might like to check out this list of 10 best easy Greek chicken recipes or my Greek recipes archives!
Last but not least: Need a quick and easy dessert to serve after this meal? Here are 11 really easy dessert recipes (6 ingredients or less).
Easy Greek Chicken And Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1¾ pounds medium-sized potatoes, peeled & sliced into wedges
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus a little extra
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, (8-10 thighs)
- 1 lemon, zest & juice
- 1 large teaspoon dried oregano
- salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 390F/200C.
- Put the raw potato wedges into a large baking dish or roasting pan (in one layer if you can). Drizzle with a little olive oil, toss with your hands and bake for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and nestle the chicken thighs in amongst them in the dish. Add the squeezed lemon halves as well.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice & zest & oregano and drizzle all over the chicken and potatoes. Grind over plenty of salt and black pepper, then put the dish back in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear when you poke the meat with a knife and the whole dish is golden.
- Serve with a big traditional Greek salad, Greek yogurt and crusty bread.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Note: This post has been updated from its original version to include new photos, step-by-step cooking instructions, an FAQ, similar recipes, and a how-to video. I hope you like it!
Another Scrummy Lane gem.
Easy, quick & tasty.
Thank you so much, Clive. Your positive feedback means so much! 🙂
Love your recipes helen
Thank you so much, Cheryl. That means a lot! 🙂
This looks delicious, I will try it in my new air fryer. Think I’ll use a chicken breast though, not keen on thighs.
Hi Nikki! So glad you’re going to try it in your air fryer – I’d love to know how you get on as I’ve never tried this myself. Just bear in mind that chicken breasts will take around half the time to cook as thighs, and maybe even less time in an air fryer. Just make sure you pre cook the potatoes so that they’re as yummy as possible! Enjoy! 🙂
OMG Helen this dish was amazing, had it for dinner tonight with your Greek salad, I thought I was back in Corfu! The flavours are like a party in your mouth 😋 Turned out great in the air fryer, the potatoes went lovely and crispy and the chicken was so succulent. I have to confess to adding garlic to the dressing which worked wonderfully and I left the skin on the wedges. Absolute perfection 👌 thank you!
Aw thank you, Nikki! This is the biggest compliment ever! This is one of my favourite meals ever so I love it when others appreciate it, too. Interesting to hear that it turned out well in your air fryer – thanks for letting me know! Hope you enjoy it again and again! 🙂
My son requests this every year for his birthday since he could talk. His Birthday was 10/17–24!! Time fly’s!! Non Greek here and don’t usually use a recipe–I use a lot of lemon juice and garlic and a touch of water–eating the next day is SOOOOOOOOOO good. Only problem is, it doesn’t usually last that long.
Hello Michelle. Oh wow, what a compliment! I love that you’ve tweaked the recipe over the years and made it your own. We still make this often too, especially when we have guests because it’s just soooo easy and tasty. I love how well it goes with a Greek salad and tzatziki. I prepare everything ahead then just assemble and throw in the oven as my guests arrive. Happy birthday to your son! Ours is 4.5 years old and I’m already wondering where the time has gone! 🙂
Out of this world and SO easy to make, my husband couldn’t believe how fabulous this dish was. I added garlic for additional authenticity!
It will be a regular Saturday evening dish!
Thank you so much for all your stunning recipes.
Thank you, Diana, and you’re so welcome! This is my favourite potato dish EVER! So happy that you liked it too! I really hope you continue enjoying the recipes here. 🙂
Hobo Helen, I happen to be Greek and make this particular recipe quite often. The only thing I do differently is I use thyme instead of oregano. As you, they are in the same family only thyme is a little milder. Otherwise you recipe is definitely GREEK are you?
Hi Despina! I always LOVE it when I get a review from a true Greek, but I also feel nervous as well! Have I got the recipe right? Hahaha! I’m so happy you think I got this one right. Thank you! I love the idea of making it with thyme. I love thyme and will try it that way next time. I’m actually not Greek, although I spent around 14 years living there. I still feel very connected to the country and people, and will NEVER stop cooking Greek food! Best wishes, Helen.
Another winner! I love your recipes Helen 😍😍
Hi Helen, and thank you so much for the vote of confidence! I’m so glad you like this meal – it’s one of our absolute favourites either for ourselves or for guests. Have you tried my moussaka as well? Also amazingly delicious!
Hi there, Greek here, and, yes, this, or a variation of this, with a whole chicken, used to be one of my top favorite memories from the 70s Sundays, when my mom used to make it and the whole family would gather around for the traditional mid-day main Greek meal. If fact, for many an older-school Greek, this dish just spells, Sunday! I’m happy that it still is “alive and well” so to speak in the modern age internet, and the whole world gets a chance to know it and appreciate it. It’s *signature* Greek all right! Best regards from Thessaloniki, Greece, Costas.
Hello Costas! I really appreciate your enthusiasm for this! It’s a great idea actually to make it with a whole chicken. I actually haven’t tried that but now I’m thinking I should. The potatoes wouldn’t really need a head start, in fact. It might be a signature classic but it’s still very delicious, especially served with a Greek salad and tzatziki I think. Thank you so much for saying hi – I really appreciate it! P.S. How did I never get to Thessaloniki in years of living in Greece? 🙂
Hi Helen, thanks for the nice reply to…my reply ; ) Yes, I can confirm the potatoes wouldn’t need any previous pre-baking with a whole chicken, in fact, one of the reasons our moms would do that dish was that it’s so hassle-free! It’s basically just all the ingredients together in the oven, and after say 80-90 min, oriste! (voila! ; ), the family Sunday main course was ready. Each gets his/hers favorite bit of the chicken meat, everybody’s happy! And, yes, in the summer, a choriatiki (Greek) salad was (is) indispensable, and tzatziki of course goes superbly with everything potato, especially baked… : ) If you couple it with a good, cool retsina wine, why, you can’t get more down-to-earth-Greek than that!
PS Never been in the Thess??!! Gee, your loss, ; ) quick, remedy that 1st chance you get ; ) I guarantee you it’s an experience, especially in a culinary sense: Athenians after all use “Thessaloniki” as an alternative expression for “the best in food”, especially if we are talking Anatolian Greek cuisine and mezedes…Yamas! ; )
Wow, you are making me very hungry now, Costas! I never heard that expression (Thessaloniki) while I was living in Greece, but I love it! I especially love the more Anatolian Greek dishes. Another meal I make every now and again is baked eggplant with tomato sauce and feta. It’s so yummy with some simple Greek meatballs! Yamas to you too! 🙂 P.S. I’m definitely going to try the Greek chicken and potatoes with a whole chicken. Love the idea 🙂
Yum. This would still work with bone in skin on thighs too right since I assume the skin isn’t under liquid too much. Might get a little crispy. I’ll try it both ways, just need to adjust the cooking times.
I actually think you’d be OK cooking for the same amount of time if you use skin on thighs, Sue. I’ve made this with skin on bone in thighs before and didn’t change anything. I suppose I cook the skinless ones for a bit longer than average so that the potatoes are properly cooked. The chicken always seems to stay nice and tender – probably because there’s all that lovely ‘juice’ in there!
Doing it per the recipe with skinless tonight but will try with bone and skin again soon as a test run for Christmas. Good to know you’ve done it for the same time though.
.
Hope you enjoy your dinner, Sue! Yum yum!
Made it as stated. We love it!
Great to hear this, Sophie! Thanks so much for letting me know – I really appreciate it!
My husband won’t eat chicken thighs! Could I make this with chicken breasts?
Hi Linda! Yes, you can definitely give this a go with chicken breasts. I’d advise turning the oven down to 180C when you add the chicken to the pan, and only cooking for about 35 minutes. Chicken breasts are a little less forgiving of course than thighs so could easily be overcooked! Just check that the potatoes are still nicely cooked at the end of this cooking time. If not you can always remove the chicken breasts from the pan and put them on a plate covered with some foil while you cook the potatoes for another 10 minutes. You should be fine! Let me know how you go!
What’s the degrees u cook it on? I do not have 290 on my oven
Hi Joyce! It’s actually 390 degrees fahrenheit, or 200 degrees centigrade. I hope you enjoy it as much as we always do!