LEMONY CHICKEN WITH POTATOES AND OREGANO
Makes: 2 servings Total time: 50 minutes 2 lemons
1 ¼ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 to 3), patted dry with paper towels (see note)
1 ¼ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, halved and cut into ½-inch wedges
1 ¾ teaspoons dried oregano, plus more for serving
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more for serving
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup or hot sauce, for serving
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees and, if you like, line a sheet pan with parchment paper (not essential but helpful for cleaning up).
2. Trim the ends off 1 lemon, then cut lemon in half crosswise. Thinly slice one half of the lemon into rounds, then cut rounds into quarters, creating small triangles. Shake out seeds, then place lemon quarters into a large bowl. Save remaining lemon half for serving. Cut remaining whole lemon into wedges, for serving.
3. Add chicken and potatoes to the large bowl with lemon quarters. Add the oregano, salt and pepper; toss well. (Your hands are the best tools here.) Drizzle in the oil and toss again. 4. Arrange chicken thighs skin side up on one half of the prepared sheet pan, and potatoes and lemons on the other, spreading the potatoes out into one layer. Roast for 20 minutes. Using a long-handled spoon, stir the potatoes, then spread them out again in one layer. (You don’t have to touch the chicken.) Continue roasting until chicken and potatoes are cooked through and everything is golden and crisped, another 15 to 20 minutes (40 to 45 minutes total roasting time). 5. To serve, squeeze juice from lemon half all over chicken and potatoes, and give everything a good stir to incorporate all the tasty juices and browned bits at the bottom of pan. Sprinkle with more oregano and salt, and serve with additional lemon wedges and condiments on the side. Note: You can substitute 1 ¼ pounds chicken drumsticks for the thighs, or use a combination of thighs and drumsticks. Bone-in, skin-on breasts can also be substituted; because they cook more quickly than dark meat does, you’ll need to start checking on them after 30 minutes of total roasting time.
— Recipe by Melissa Clark