[french fries]

Inviting a friend over who eats only chicken. So I'm thinking... Greek chicken. Not sure what that means but that brings to mind a parchment papillote of potatoes, yellow and red onions, lemon quarters, whole garlic cloves, dried oregano and crumbled feta cheese. That's as far as my imagination will go.

Now I was thinking of cooking the papillote on the bbq while the chicken slow cooks outside the papillote? I'm a bit bummed about not cooking the chicken inside the papillote which would keep its juices with the veggies... but I don't really want steamed chicken, I want it to be golden brown?

Or, maybe, I should do this in the oven, in a dutch oven? Or a gratin dish so the heat can brown the spatchcock chicken lying down on top of the veggies? Or.. in that case I could do it on the grill, an open papillote of veggies on the lower rack, catching the drippings of the chicken cooking on the upper rack above... yes that sounds good!

Any other suggestions/tips? I'm hoping you will see this post @Koukouvagia !!!

 

[millionsknives]

Spatchcock the chicken. Evoo, garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, salt, pepper. Skin side down, off the direct heat. Weigh it with a brick if you like. Potatoes are fun right on the coals

 

[koukouvagia]

Inviting a friend over who eats only chicken. So I'm thinking... Greek chicken. Not sure what that means...

There are many ways to make a chicken Greek, but none of those ways include feta cheese sorry, it's not a traditional pairing. Keep all the other stuff, put the feta into something else. Greeks do cook "en papillote" but not chicken, only reason being that it sacrifices the crispy skin. But I've seen lots of pork/potato or lamb/potato papilotttes.

Other than that there is no wrong way to go about this. The lemon, oregano, and olive oil make this greek. Traditionally roast chicken is served with lemon roasted potatoes as a classic side dish. I like your last idea the best, spatchcocked on the grill with open tray of roasties underneath to catch the drippings. I would parboil the potatoes first since otherwise they'll take longer to cook than the chicken.

There is also another dish called Stifado you may be interested in, which is a very aromatic onion stew made with tomatoes, red wine, a little red wine vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, bay leaf, pepper and pearl onions with meat of choice (beef, chicken, or rabbit). It is traditionally served with french fries and crusty bread.

This also looks interesting but again I would not add the feta http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12308-greek-chicken-stew-with-cauliflower-and-olives

 

[french fries]

Rosemary! I have some in my backyard. I even have thyme in my fridge. Excellent ideas. Lemon zest too.

Skin side down + indirect heat? Hmmm never done that, does the skin render like that? I usually do skin side up + indirect heat so the fat from the skin bastes the chicken. And cook very slow and low... like 2 hours at 300F or something like that (it's a grill, I'm not sure what the exact temp is).

No coals, it's a charcoal grill. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif

 

[french fries]

There are many ways to make a chicken Greek, but none of those ways include feta cheese sorry, it's not a traditional pairing. Keep all the other stuff, put the feta into something else. Greeks do cook "en papillote" but not chicken, only reason being that it sacrifices the crispy skin. But I've seen lots of pork/potato or lamb/potato papilotttes.

Other than that there is no wrong way to go about this. The lemon, oregano, and olive oil make this greek. Traditionally roast chicken is served with lemon roasted potatoes as a classic side dish. I like your last idea the best, spatchcocked on the grill with open tray of roasties underneath to catch the drippings. I would parboil the potatoes first since otherwise they'll take longer to cook than the chicken.

There is also another dish called Stifado you may be interested in, which is a very aromatic onion stew made with tomatoes, red wine, a little red wine vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, bay leaf, pepper and pearl onions with meat of choice (beef, chicken, or rabbit). It is traditionally served with french fries and crusty bread.

This also looks interesting but again I would not add the feta http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12308-greek-chicken-stew-with-cauliflower-and-olives

Awesome, thanks for the ideas. I also have bay leaves in my backyard, so that will make it into the veggies. White wine maybe? This is starting to take shape.

Regarding the feta:

As young travelers, my wife and I once found ourselves looking for a room in Santorini. Seeing one of the many "room to let" signs on a greek house, we came in and asked for the price. The price was right but the room was not ready so the woman asked us to wait on an interior patio while she prepared the room. A moment after, as she was passing by, I complimented her on the wonderful smell that was coming out of her kitchen. She went straight to the kitchen and came back out serving us two beautiful plates of roast chicken, home made french fries, and crumbled feta cheese. I couldn't believe my eyes! She was willing to sacrifice some of her dish for her guests!! It was very good, and the whole experience left a strong memory in me... and I think the crumbled feta on top of the veggies is a way for me to come back to that memory.

 

[millionsknives]

Sure does but the secret is when it's cooked through or close to it, you slide it over direct heat .

If you go skin side up put a brick or cast iron skillet on top it should crisp nicely

 

[french fries]

Sure does but the secret is when it's cooked through or close to it, you slide it over direct heat /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif.

If you go skin side up put a brick or cast iron skillet on top it should crisp nicely

I'm so used to coloring first and cooking then that I rarely cook first and color last. Not really experienced that way.

I feel so silly I just gave about 300 bricks to my neighbor because I didn't know what to do with them - now I feel like I should have kept one or two!

 

[french fries]

BTW really appreciate the tip about par-boiling potatoes - good call.

 

[jake t buds]

Call me contrarian but olive oil, lemon, and oregano is not exclusively Greek. 

I know it's stereotypical, but filo dough, feta, olives, and cucumber sounds more Greek to me. Not necessarily in the same dish, though. 

 

[french fries]

Alright I ended up adding fresh rosemary and thyme to the veggies, lots of garlic, lemon wedges, red and green bell peppers, yellow and red onions... and the chicken got the lemon zest and dried oregano. Will go on the grill now!

IMG_0094.JPG

• french fries
• Mar 19, 2016

 

[koukouvagia]

Looks very Greek how did it turn out?!

 

[koukouvagia]

Call me contrarian but olive oil, lemon, and oregano is not exclusively Greek.

I know it's stereotypical, but filo dough, feta, olives, and cucumber sounds more Greek to me. Not necessarily in the same dish, though.

There are a lot of Greek dishes that don't contain any of those ingredients. Maybe lemon, oregano and olive oil are not exclusively Greek in this global world but it's classic. And Greeks are usually the only ones that will leave those ingredients as is without adding anything else. Perhaps.

 

[sicariix]

There is also another dish called Stifado you may be interested in, which is a very aromatic onion stew made with tomatoes, red wine, a little red wine vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, bay leaf, pepper and pearl onions with meat of choice (beef, chicken, or rabbit). It is traditionally served with french fries and crusty bread.

Mmmm....my mom used to make that for me when I was a boy, I've try to make it, but never as good as when she made it.

 

[jake t buds]

I'm not sure how or what the details would be, but I'm considering starting a thread about regional dishes and how they are interpreted globally.

There's the traditional dish debate, ingredients origin debate, and how they are assembled. Including names etc. When and how they are exported. etc etc.

It would include the history and origin of food, and how it is interpreted.

Big subject, I know. But I am intrigued by ingredient and method/ process "ownership." Why traditional french foods are the "standard" for gastronomy, certain dishes can be interpreted and others not.

It would have to be a discussion of culture as well.

Any interest? Or am I just spitting in the wind?

 

[koukouvagia]

Oh I'd love a discussion about that, it's a pretty big topic. But remember there are regions within regions. Greece for example is region by region. Some foods from other regions I don't even recognize. If my grandmother and my husband's grandmother were in a room together they'd probably not understand each others dialect or customs.

It doesn't surprise me that FrenchFries had an experience in Santorini that is quite different than what he may experience on my island.

Plus there is so much more to food than technique and ingredients. How it fits into the daily life, what role food plays in a culture's life these things are also important beyond the food itself. Fascinating topic.

 

[french fries]

It turned out great!! I'm really glad I parboiled the potatoes. About 20mn before taking it out I sprinkled some feta on top of the veggies. It didn't really melt much (the grill was rather low) and it was okay but not necessary. But the veggies and the chicken were great. 

 

[koukouvagia]

That's great!

 

[planethoff]

I'm not sure how or what the details would be, but I'm considering starting a thread about regional dishes and how they are interpreted globally.

There's the traditional dish debate, ingredients origin debate, and how they are assembled. Including names etc. When and how they are exported. etc etc.

It would include the history and origin of food, and how it is interpreted.

Big subject, I know. But I am intrigued by ingredient and method/ process "ownership." Why traditional french foods are the "standard" for gastronomy, certain dishes can be interpreted and others not.

It would have to be a discussion of culture as well.

Any interest? Or am I just spitting in the wind?

I think that is a great idea and I would really jump in on that. I've recently been solidifying recipes from upstate/western New York. And it is crazy how much comes from that small demographic. Regional cuisine study possibilities are infinite

I would be so excited to hear about places and specialties I have not had the pleasure of experiencing. One from my book is Cochinillo in Segovia. a top ten life experience.

 

[teamfat]

This topic inspired last night's dinner.

chix1.jpg

• teamfat
• Mar 26, 2016

Chicken thighs, fresh Greek oregano from the garden, garlic, lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil all went into a baggie to marinate for about an hour or so. Then onto the charcoal:

chix2.jpg

• teamfat
• Mar 26, 2016

I had to get back to work for my evening pickups, no nice presentation. But it was quite tasty, could have used a bit more lemon. Grilled chicken, done well, not well done, is a favorite of mine.

mjb.

 

[jake t buds]

Looks good Fat. It's OK that I call you Fat, yes? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

I was going to start a thread but am having second thoughts.

Sorry.