Easy Greek Lemon Chicken

This delicious Greek lemon chicken is a great one pot meal that's easy to prepare and easy to cook. If you like lemon and garlic you will love this! It's perfect if you're looking for meals with little meal prep.

I love Greek one pot meals and stews. I don't think I've got many on this blog but I enjoyed them so much on holiday in Cyprus a few years ago. The beauty of this recipe is that it needs almost no preparation. Who doesn't want that on busy days? Ok, it's not the quickest meal as it needs quite a while in the oven but as long as you are at home for a while before you eat then it's perfect.

If you love lemon, garlic and oregano which are such typical Greek flavours then this lemon chicken stew is definitely going to make you happy. It's the kind of stew that is really popular in Greek households and after making it, I can really see why! I must say, it's not totally authentic though. I add the tomatoes for a pop of colour and juiciness but they are not traditionally added to this Greek lemon chicken recipe.

The dish was full of lemony Greek flavours. The potatoes were deliciously soft and had soaked up lots of flavour. I also think the tomatoes were a delicious addition to this complete one-pot meal.

This one pot stew is also a great meal for preparing in advance. It stores easily in the fridge and is so quick and easy to reheat in the microwave or even in the oven. You can even freeze it!

Ingredient notes for Greek lemon chicken

Please check out the recipe card further down the page for quantities. To make this Greek lemon chicken stew you'll need:

• Chicken - Skin on chicken thighs or drumsticks on the bone are best for this recipe. The stew is slow cooked and chicken breast can go a little dry if slow cooked like this. The skin also helps to keep the chicken moist as it cooks so is definitely best left on.
• Potatoes - Depending on the time of year you can use different potatoes. I use new potatoes in summer, leaving the skins on, and just slice them in half. In winter I've used baking potatoes, just peeled and cut into about 6 pieces
• Garlic - I love garlic and use about 8 cloves in this recipe. It's not too strong as the stew slow cooks and the garlic cloves melt into the sauce.
• Onions - I think brown onions work best in this but you can use red onions instead.
• Oregano - I use dried oregano.
• Olive oil - It may seem like 70ml of olive oil is a lot to add to this stew but it really helps with the flavour. Use a good quality Greek olive oil if you can. I use Gaea Greek extra virgin olive oil (use code: GAEASPICE15% for a discount)
• Chicken stock - Use homemade stock or a stock cube. Depending on the saltiness of the stock you may need to add a little salt.
• Lemons - I used to add two lemons to the stew but found it could be a bit too lemony. These days I prefer to add one lemon to the stew and serve the second lemon on the side so people eating the stew can squeeze extra lemon juice on if they wish.
• Cherry tomatoes
• Paprika - I like to use hot paprika but smoked paprika also gives it a nice flavour.

How to make Greek lemon chicken stew

This Greek chicken stew is really simple to make. Just put all the ingredients except the lemons and tomatoes in an oven-proof dish. Bake in the oven for an hour with the lid on. Then remove the lid and add one of the lemons, cut into quarters. After 45 minutes add the cherry tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes.

What to serve with this lemon chicken stew

I love to serve some green vegetables with it such as peas or broccoli. It's totally up to you. It's also nice to have a little bread on the side to mop up some of the sauce.

Can you adapt the recipe?

Yes of course. I think this recipe would also work really well with pork instead of chicken. Use more of less garlic and lemon depending on your tastes. Also feel free to add a little more paprika as the amount I have used is quite subtle.

If you have fresh herbs then use them instead of the dried oregano.

Can you reheat the leftovers?

If you have leftovers then just keep them in the fridge and reheat them the next day. You can use the microwave or reheat them in the oven. Like with lots of stews and casseroles, the flavours get even more intense the next day!

Can you freeze this Greek lemon chicken stew?

Yes you can. Freeze it in individual containers as soon as it has cooled down. It will keep well for at least three months in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating in the oven or microwave.

The inspiration for this Greek lemon chicken

This Greek lemon chicken was inspired by a recipe on Culinary Flavours. This is a Greek food blog and I love the traditional Greek recipes on it. Do check it out for lots of Greek recipes and to see the original recipe that inspired this one.

Recipe

Greek Lemon Chicken

Corina Blum

This delicious Greek lemon chicken is a great one pot meal that's easy to prepare and easy to cook.  If you like lemon and garlic you will love this!  It's perfect for busy week nights.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Servings 4

Calories 792 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 1 kg chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 600 g potatoes Cut into large pieces
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2 onion cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 70 ml olive oil
• 600 ml chicken stock
• 2 lemons
• 200 g cherry tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon paprika

Instructions

 

• In an oven-proof dish, place the garlic cloves, potatoes, onion and chicken.  Sprinkle with the oregano and paprika.
• Add the olive oil then cover with the stock. Add a little salt, depending on the saltiness of the stock.
• Bake for 1 hour at about 200C with the lid on. Cut one of the lemons into quarters and place on top, skin side facing upwards and continue to bake for about 45 minutes with the lid off.
• Don't let all the liquid evaporate or it will go dry. Scatter with the tomatoes, put the lid on again and continue to cook for about 10 minutes.
• Serve the second lemon on the side so it can be squeezed over the top when serving if you like it exra lemony.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and a guideline only.

Nutrition

Calories: 792kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 45gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 490mgPotassium: 1769mgFiber: 9gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 665IUVitamin C: 73.4mgCalcium: 173mgIron: 10.9mg

Keyword Greek Lemon Chicken

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More one pot meals

This Greek lemon chicken is a great one pot meal. Why not have a look at some of my other easy one pot recipes:

• Harissa chicken traybake
• Easy Sausage Tray Bake

If you like lemon chicken recipes then you might also like my chicken breasts in lemon and sage sauce. Or if you're looking for Greek recipes then why not look at my vegetarian moussaka, my fasolakia (green bean stew) or my Greek inspired quiche? Or how about this quick and easy coq au vin?

Keep in touch

Do let me know if you make this Greek lemon chicken or any of my other recipes. I love to get feedback from readers.

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