Greek Style Roasted Butterflied Chicken With Potatoes

Name: Greek style roasted butterflied chicken with potatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1.6 kg whole chicken; lemon, washed and halved; 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil; 40-50 g salted butter; 1 ½ tbs dry oregano; ½ tbs salt; ½ tbs sweet paprika; 600 g red skin potatoes, or can be any potatoes good for roasting; 1 onion, cut in 6; 4 whole garlic cloves, smashed; ¾ tbs dry oregano; 1 ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; ⅓ cup lemon juice; ¼ cup water; ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Greek style roasted butterflied chicken with potatoes just smells and tastes like home comfort food. I was always so intimidated to cook a whole chicken but it really is just as easy as preparing separate pieces. And in just a short time the whole chicken cooks perfectly as well flavours the potatoes beautifully cooking in the baking tray!

The potatoes added, I cut in small pieces so they cook through. If you wish to cut them in bigger pieces then you can parboil them shortly beforehand. Otherwise another option with large size potatoes, is to lower the temperature to 200°C, cover the tray with aluminum foil first to cook for 1hr 15min first, before cooking it uncovered for a further 20min until it browns.

Image of the butterflied chicken before it's seasoned

How to butterfly a whole chicken

I usually start off by flipping the whole chicken on its breast with the spine facing up. I use a pair of strong kitchen scissors to cut along one side of the spine and then repeat with the other side. The spine removed could be used to create chicken stock or can be discarded. After that I use half a lemon and just squeeze it all over the chicken while rubbing its skin. That just helps to cleanse the chicken from any remains from the butcher.

Herbs and condiments used

Typical flavourings used for the Greek style roasted butterflied chicken with potatoes includes lemon juice, oregano, pepper, garlic and some added sweet paprika. The whole meal is a play on the tastebuds! There is just something so familiar and homely when I prepare this for the family.

How to achieve flavour and moisture

For this recipe to add flavour and ensure that the chicken, in particular the chicken breast, does not dry out I add salted butter under the chicken skin where the breast lies. Secondly the butter is actually pressed in the chicken seasoning first, which allows for the oregano, paprika, salt and pepper to be absorbed through the chicken. If you just season the skin then the flavouring can’t actually get through, since there is no stuffing used either.

Image focusing on a plate with a serving of chicken, potatoes and salad. In the background is the platter of food and olives

For more poultry or meat, traditional and non, check out this link!