Greek Chicken with Oregano

The Greek chicken was served with

baby roasted potatoes and marinated cucumber salad.

There is a little story here, when I was attending school some years ago, a small Greek restaurant served Greek roasted chicken with rice. An excellent tasting half chicken that was tender, juicy and tasty. Here’s my interpretation.

INGREDIENTS:

1 chicken, about 2-1/2 - 3 lb cut in half lengthwise
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 large Shallot
2 cloves garlic
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine (divided)
Fresh oregano or Rosemary sprigs

PREPARATION:

Preheat an oven to 400°F

Peel and finely chop the shallot and garlic. Cut two wedges from the lemon and Juice the rest. Wash the oregano shaking off water and strip leaves then chop finely. Wash and trim any excess fat and waste from the chicken.

In a small bowl combine the oil, lemon juice and oregano and stir to mix well. Brush the mixture over both sides of each chicken half, including under the wings. Place in a roasting pan, skin-side down. Tuck the onions and garlic in the hollows of the chicken halves and season to taste with pepper.

COOKING:

Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken halves skin-side up, stir 1/4 cup of the wine into the pan juices and baste the chicken. Continue to roast, basting twice with the pan juices, until tender and golden, another 40-45 minutes. Add more wine to the pan as needed to keep the chicken moist.

Arrange the chicken on a warmed platter. Strain the pan juices, spoon off grease and pour over the chicken. Garnish with the sprigs and a lemon wedge.