Greek Style Chicken: The Easiest, Most Delicious Roasted Chicken
This recipe is a real crowd-pleaser. It’s simple, quick, and the ingredients are inexpensive. I’ve been making Greek-style chicken thighs since my early days as an apprentice cook in a family-owned restaurant so I know this recipe will work for you too!
PREPARATION
Rub chicken thighs
Rub the chicken thighs with oregano, juice (1 lemon), salt and pepper. Use a mortar and pestle to crush the oregano.
Place in a plastic bag or covered container and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
While it’s best to let your chicken rest for at least 30 minutes, you can also store it in the fridge overnight if you want. I typically place my chicken in a Ziploc bag, but any sealed container will do as well.
Heat oven to 375 ̊F.
Preheat the oven to 375 ̊F.
Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe frying pan over medium high heat.
For this recipe, you need a large, oven-safe frying pan. Heat olive oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook on each side for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer the pan to a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165 degrees).
Add more oil if there isn’t enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
You don’t want to crowd the pan and it is better to cook in batches than overcrowd your skillet. The oil should be hot enough to sizzle when you add the chicken, so adjust heat accordingly if needed!
Sear chicken skin-side down until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Cook the chicken skin-side down until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan; tent with foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining pieces of chicken in batches.
Turn Chicken Over
Turn chicken over and cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 2 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size of your chicken; mine took about 5 minutes per side to get a little browning around the edges. When chicken is almost done, add kale to the grill and cook with lid closed until wilted. Top with chopped green onions, orange slices and feta cheese.
Remove pan from heat and transfer chicken to a plate, skin-side up.
Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the pan from the heat and transfer it to a plate, skin-side up. The skin should be golden brown and crispy. The olives should remain in the pan as well—they’ll add some nice flavor to your finished dish! Now you’ve got all the ingredients to make a great meal!
Scatter olives around the chicken and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice over both the olives and the chicken.
After you’ve cooked the chicken, remove it from the oven and scatter olives around the chicken (and don’t forget to drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice over both the olives and the chicken).
Olives are a key ingredient in Greek cooking. They’re used in sauces, stews, salads, and other dishes as a way to provide flavor without adding much fat. In fact, olives are high in monounsaturated fats—the good kind!
Transfer Pan to Oven
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink at the bone, about 20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges. Served 4 as a main course or 6 as a light supper. Serve with rice or potatoes. Serve the Greek chicken with some delicious grilled vegetables and you have a perfect meal!
If you’re new to Greek cooking, this dish is a great place to start. It may surprise you how easy it is to make authentic Greek chicken at home! Just follow these simple steps and enjoy this flavorful dish as part of your next meal.
