Greek Homestyle Chicken

Chicken cooked with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic is common in Greece. For a light summer meal, grill the chicken instead of baking it and serve with a summery salad such as Tomatoes w/ Feta Cheese & Fresh Basil and toasted pita bread. For a heartier winter meal, serve with the white rice, as below, or add roasting potatoes to the pan with the chicken to make Patates Sto Fourno (Greek Oven Roasted Potatoes with lemon) and roast until nicely browned. Another option is to to use the drippings to make a nice Avgolemono Sauce (traditional Greek Egg-Lemon Sauce) - add water or chicken broth to the drippings to make 1 cup broth called for in the recipe.

Also see the recipe for Patates Sto Fourno (Greek Oven Roasted Potatoes), often cooked in the same pan with the chicken.

3 lbs. chicken breasts, bone-in
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
1 lemon, cut in wedges

In stainless steel bowl mix the salt, lemon juice, oregano, olive oil, garlic and black pepper. Add the chicken; cover the bowl and marinate 2 - 4 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken, skin side up, in baking pan 9 x 13 x 2 inches and pour the marinade over top. Add the water or chicken broth to the marinade in the bottom of the pan. After oven has heated, put chicken in and cook until done (40-45 minutes). Brush juices on chicken every so often to keep the top moist.

To serve place chicken in serving dish and top with some of the remaining juices. Serve with white rice and lemon wedges on the side.

Serves 4.