Kotopoulo Portokalato is a chicken recipe of mine which is very easy to make, as the only thing needed is to marinate the chicken in a roasting bag with orange juice and other ingredients and then bake it with potatoes. You forget it in the oven until it is done without having to watch over it or turn it over.
After the overdose of butter and sugar during the Christmas period, you might want to eat something light, delicious and healthy for a change. I know that I do and although personally I shall start eating healthier, I still need to post some of the recipes I have made during the holidays.
On New Year’s Day I posted a list with recipes I made during 2010 and did not manage to post them and believe me there are many more I have not mentioned. If you want to see any of these recipes posted, just leave me a message and I shall try and post them the soonest.
I am starting this list with Kotopoulo Portokalato, which is a paraphrase to Kotopoulo Lemonato, a classic Greek recipe with chicken and lemon, which was a request from one of the readers of my Greek blog.
The Chicken with oranges was cooked last March when my son visited our relatives in Sparta. They have orange groves and whenever we visit they fill the trunk with lots of bags of whatever they produce. See my post back then.
We ate as many as we could but also used them in a lot of recipes, most of which have not been posted yet.
This recipe is so easy to make (did I mention how healthy and delicious it is?), all you have to do is marinate the chicken in an oven bag and then bake it in the oven.
The sauce is optional and it is not recommended when you are on a diet, but it would be a pity to waste all the deliciousness from the chicken juices, so may be you can allow yourself to add just a couple of tablespoons only 🙂
Kotopoulo Portokalato (Orange Chicken)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 5 – 6
Ingredients:
1 chicken about 1,5 kilos (3.30 lbs)
10 – 15 small potatoes
Salt, pepper, oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
Marinade ingredients
2 cups orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon thyme
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
2 tbsps olive oil
2 spring onions, finely cut
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup white dry wine
Liquid from the chicken
2 tablespoons milk or single cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Mix in the orange juice all the marinade ingredients.
Wash the chicken and put it in the baking bag together with the marinade ingredients and marinate for 1 – 2 hours.
After the marinating time, peel and wash the potatoes and if you are using big ones, cut them into smaller pieces. Season with salt, pepper and oregano and wet them with the olive oil. Add the potatoes in the bag and seal them with the wire provided with the bags. Place the bag in a baking dish and make a couple of slits on the top side of the bag so that steam may escape but prevent the juices from coming out.
Preheat oven at 200oC/395oF and bake the chicken and potatoes for about 1 hour or according to directions on roasting bags.
After roasting the chicken, cut a hole in one corner of the bag and remove all the juices in a bowl.
In a non-stick frying pan heat the olive oil on medium heat and sauté the spring onions until translucent. Add the flour and mix to make the roux. Add the wine, mix then add the juices and stir until it begins to thicken. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper and finally add the milk and mix again for a few minutes.
Kotopoulo Portokalato (Chicken with Oranges) and another Giveaway
Ingredients
- 1 chicken about 1,5 kilos (3.30 lbs)
- 10 - 15 small potatoes
- Salt, pepper, oregano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Marinade ingredients
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 spring onions, finely cut
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white dry wine
- Liquid from the chicken
- 2 tablespoons milk or single cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix in the orange juice all the marinade ingredients.
- Wash the chicken and put it in the baking bag together with the marinade ingredients and marinate for 1 - 2 hours.
- After the marinating time, peel and wash the potatoes and if you are using big ones, cut them into smaller pieces Season with salt, pepper and oregano and wet them with the olive oil Add the potatoes in the bag and seal them with the wire provided with the bags Place the bag in a baking dish and make a couple of slits on the top side of the bag so that steam may escape but prevent the juices from coming out.
- Preheat oven at 200oC/395oF and bake the chicken and potatoes for about 1 hour or according to directions on roasting bags.
- After roasting the chicken, cut a hole in one corner of the bag and remove all the juices in a bowl.
- In a non-stick frying pan heat the olive oil on medium heat and sauté the spring onions until translucent Add the flour and mix to make the roux Add the wine, mix then add the juices and stir until it begins to thicken Taste and adjust with salt and pepper and finally add the milk and mix again for a few minutes.
I am linking this recipe to Antonella’s blog, who will be featuring it in Mediterranea, representing Greece. My special thanks go to Antonella, for selecting my blog but also for placing a picture and a link to her blog for my cookbook without even asking her to do this. Antonella is automatically in a draw.
To show my appreciation to all of you who will follow Antonella’s footsteps by helping me promote my cookbook, I am offering a copy of my cookbook. All you have to do is right click on the image of the book below and “save as” on your computer. Then upload it to your side bar with a link to my blog or directly to my e-store and leave me a message at this post with your URL. As I cannot offer a copy to each one of you individually, I want to thank you in advance for your kindness and at the end of this month, one of you will be the winner by a random.org selection.
I am also linking it to Heni, of Simplicity’s Table by the Sea, for her event of January, Food of the Sun: Healthy for 2011.
the month.
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!!
Laura
Friday 29th of May 2015
it looks very tasty! thanks for the recipe
Ismail N
Wednesday 28th of May 2014
This looks delicious! Do you think I can substitute the white dry wine with something else? We don't have wine or any alcoholic beverages in our pantry. :D
Ivy
Wednesday 28th of May 2014
Thank you. Just skip the wine and add a little bit more broth.
John
Monday 9th of April 2012
Thanks for this recipe. Will try this at home now that it's summer. I think my kids will surely love this.
Bill Brikiatis
Saturday 7th of January 2012
If your relatives are from Sparta that must mean you are a Maniots, a very proud group of folks. My family traditionally makes a dish very much like this one. Does your book have recipes that are traditionally from this region or just Greece in general?
Ivy
Saturday 7th of January 2012
Actually the Maniots are a little bit further away. Those from Sparta are called Spartans but Spartans and Maniots are both Laconians. My cookbook is only with Greek / Cypriot recipes.
Jana Odonnell
Wednesday 14th of December 2011
My greek grandmother used to add a little smoked pimentón to her's for a little extra kick. Glad to meet you Daiana.