Greek whole chicken

 

Ingredients

• 1 large whole chicken without giblets 
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or white wine
• 4 floury potatoes such as Maris piper, peeled and chopped into large cubes
• 1 small red onion peeled and halved
• 4 large garlic cloves peeled and crushed
• 3-4 tbsp virgin olive oil or more, as needed
• 2 tsp dried oregano or more, as needed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 lemon
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 170C (325F).
• Pat the chicken dry with kitchen towels (see above) and then rub all over with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper and place on a large roasting tin or casserole.
• Squeeze half the lemon over the chicken and place it in the chicken cavity together with the onion and one bay leaf. Sprinkle with the dried oregano and pour a third of the stock into the pan. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes.
• Take the pan out of the oven and arrange the potatoes, garlic and other bay around the chicken, drizzling with extra olive oil and seasoning with salt, pepper and more dried oregano. Squeeze the other lemon half over the potatoes, place in the pan, and add a bit more stock to the pan if it is dry. Cover with the foil and roast for another 40 minutes.
• Check the roast, turning the potatoes over. Add more stock if the pan is dry, cover and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender and the chicken juices run clear. Increase the oven temperature to 220C (425F) and cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until the chicken skin crisps up.
• Let the chicken rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving and serving with the potatoes and a Greek salad on the side.