Chicken with potatoes in lemon sauce, "lemonato", another easy recipe of an excellent main dish everybody will love. With a few ingredients a delicious meal can be prepared. Is it possible to have a main meal with a few ingredients and to be absolutely delicious? Mrs. Amalia would definitely answer with a big Yes! In this recipe lemon juice is used to give the dish its specific taste and aroma. In the Cypriot kitchen by using just one or two different ingredients will make all the difference, remember also the pork prepared with dry coriander seeds (blog post 12.06.2018). Chicken or rabbit, potatoes and fresh lemon juice are the main ingredients, by slightly frying the chicken, quench with lemon juice, frying the potatoes and then cook them in the steam of the simmering chicken, as I said, delicious! One of our favorite recipes at home!
Ingredients
5 - 7 cuts of chicken or rabbit.
5 - 7 potatoes (1 or 2 per person depending on their size).
4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
hot water as much as needed.
salt and pepper.
1 full tablespoon of cornflour.
some olive oil for baking the chicken.
olive oil or any other oil for the potatoes.
Method
Peel the potatoes and cut them in halves or in thirds, depending on their size. This stage can also be done well before baking the chicken of course, just keep them covered with cold water and drain and dry them before frying.
Fry the chicken lightly in 1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil, it should stay pale as shown in picture.
Transfer the chicken and its oil to a medium casserole and heat up again, once the oil starts sizzling quench the chicken with the lemon juice, then add salt and pepper and add hot water until almost covered. Bring to the boil and simmer. Place the lid on the casserole.
In the meantime heat up the oil in a deep frying pan.
Fry the potato pieces until golden brown.
Place the fried potatoes on top of the chicken. The potatoes will be cooked in the steam of the simmering chicken. Close with lid.
Simmer the chicken for about an hour. Start timing from the moment the chicken is simmering in the lemon juice, salt, pepper and water.
By the time the potatoes are golden brown and placed on top of the chicken, about 45 minutes are left.
(Mind you that rabbit needs half an hour to 45 minutes more time to cook, so start with the preparation of the potatoes when the rabbit simmers already for half an hour to 45 minutes).
Transfer the potatoes and chicken to a serving dish and keep warm. Pass the cooking juices through a fine sieve over a small casserole. Heat up to a simmer.
Dissolve the cornflour in some water.
Pour the dissolved cornflour slowly into the cooking juice while stirring with a whisk. Bring to a simmer and the juice will thicken.
Bring to taste with salt and pepper (optional) and some more fresh lemon juice (optional).
Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and serve on the side.
Enjoy - καλή όρεξη!
With special thanks to "Holy_wood" for the handmade olive-wood chopping/serving board. Shop can be found at Ibrahim Hani, Paphos, Cyprus.