Recipe & Pairing | Carolina Doriti’s Slow-roast chicken with potatoes

Greek chef Carolina Doriti’s new “The Greek Islands Cookbook” (available now!) plays up to the perennial popularity of Mediterranean food and adds the unique allure of the Greek islands, with recipes designed to inspire home cooks to recreate some Greek holiday magic in their kitchens.

This slow-roast chicken is THE idyllic winter warmer, and boy do we have the perfect pairing - all that’s left to do is close your eyes and picture yourself on a sun-kissed island getaway.

Pairing tip: "Allow me to go full cork dork for a second - according to some estimates there’s more than 200 grape varieties indigenous to Greece, and many of them grow nowhere else in the world. How cool is that? And in Ithaca (where this dish hails from) most of the white varieties are in such small numbers that you’ll almost always find them blended together. A curious little white field blend might offer up something similarly special and unique, but if I’m chasing a dead cert then an Aussie riesling, chardonnay or chenin blanc will be a ripper choice. After all, it’s roast chicken - no need to overthink this one.” - Nick

Pair this with...

Carolina Doriti's Slow-roast chicken with potatoes

“This dish is named after a unique cooking implement, a dome-shaped, heavy lid called a tserepa. Used on an open fire, the tserepa was fitted over a baking pan to act as a multi-purpose, mobile oven. The pan would be heated over hot coals, then the tserepa fitted on top and a few coals placed on the lid to ensure even cooking.

Traditional tserepas were typically made of clay mixed with goat hair to strengthen the dome and prevent cracking. Nomadic shepherds, farm workers, labourers and others without access to a regular oven would take the tserepa with them to prepare bread, pies or roast meats, and particularly chicken. It was an essential utensil in the countryside on Ithaca, Kefalonia and Lefkada, as well as parts of mainland Greece.

You can use a whole chicken or specific cuts like thighs or drumsticks, all with skin and bones intact. I find thighs with drumsticks attached to be ideal. The longer you cook this dish, the better the flavour develops. I’ve cooked it for up to 6 hours, which resulted in the best version so far. I offer two cooking methods: a slow version also suitable for wood-burning ovens and open fires, plus a faster version for convenience." - Carolina Doriti

FROM ITHACA

GLUTEN FREE

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken thighs with drumsticks attached (about 1.5kg/3lb 5oz), rinsed and dried

• 140ml (41/2fl oz) olive oil

• 1 large onion, peeled

• 2 Romano peppers (or red bell peppers)

• 2 tomatoes (about 400g/14oz), peeled and cored

• 170ml (6fl oz) white wine

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 3–4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped or thinly sliced

• 3 potatoes (around 650g/1lb 6oz), peeled and quartered lengthwise

• 3–4 fresh marjoram sprigs or

• 11/2 teaspoons dried marjoram

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to either 170°C/150°C fan/325°F/gas 3 to slow cook or 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/gas 5 for a faster cooking time.

Rub the chicken thighs with a little olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper. Arrange in a large, deep ovenproof dish.

Cut the onion, peppers and tomatoes into rough 3cm (1 inch) chunks, place in a bowl and season with salt and black pepper. Scatter the vegetables around and between the chicken thighs, including the tomato juices from the bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, white wine and lemon juice. Whisk in the minced garlic, then season with salt and black pepper. Pour this mixture over the chicken and vegetables, then add the marjoram.

To ensure the dish cooks evenly and stays moist, first cover the ovenproof dish with parchment paper and then tightly seal it with a layer of foil. This traps in the steam during cooking and keeps the flavours locked in.

Place the dish in the hot oven and either slow cook it at 170°C/150°C fan/325°F/gas 3 for 5–6 hours or cook at 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/gas 5 for 2 hours or until the chicken and potatoes turn lightly golden and any liquid has significantly reduced. (If you need to speed up the roasting process even more, you can uncover the chicken after 1 hour and roast it for a further 45 minutes or until golden.)

Once done, carefully remove the foil and parchment paper – taking care not to burn yourself on the steam – and rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Images and text from "The Greek Islands Cookbook" by Carolina Doriti, photography by Manos Chatzikonstantis. Murdoch Books RRP $39.99.