Butterflied Portuguese Chicken with Lemon Toum and Crispy Oven Fries Recipe
This Butterflied Portuguese Chicken recipe features a flavorful marinade of oregano, paprika, brown sugar, garlic, and lemon, roasted to juicy perfection in the oven. Served with crispy oven fries and a garlicky toum sauce, this dish is an easy yet impressive meal perfect for sharing.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients
Scale
Marinade Ingredients
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp brown sugar (can be substituted with honey)
- 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sea salt flakes
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
Main Ingredient
- 1 whole chicken, butterflied (1.2–1.8 kg / 2½–4 lb)
Accompaniments
- Crispy oven fries (store-bought or homemade)
- Good-quality store-bought toum (garlic sauce)
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F) or 200°C (400°F) fan-forced to prepare for roasting the chicken.
- Prepare the marinade: In a small bowl, combine oregano, sweet paprika, brown sugar, freshly minced garlic, red wine vinegar, sea salt flakes, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil, mixing thoroughly to create a flavorful marinade.
- Butterfly and prepare the chicken: Place the butterflied chicken skin-side up on a large baking tray. If you haven’t butterflied the chicken yet, use kitchen shears to cut out the backbone and press down on the breastbone to flatten.
- Marinate the chicken: Rub the marinade evenly all over the chicken’s skin and surface. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours in the fridge for a deeper flavor. If you’re short on time, you can roast immediately. Add 60 ml (¼ cup) of water to the base of the tray to keep the chicken moist during roasting.
- Roast the chicken: Place the tray in the preheated oven and roast the chicken for 55–65 minutes until the juices run clear and the skin is golden and crispy. Halfway through, baste the chicken with the pan juices to enhance flavor and color. When cooking with oven fries simultaneously, place the chicken on the middle rack and fries on the top rack.
- Rest the chicken: Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute before cutting.
- Serve: Cut the chicken into quarters and serve alongside crispy oven fries, a dollop of toum for garlicky tang, and lemon wedges for squeezing over.
Notes
- You can use a 1.2–1.8 kg (2½–4 lb) whole chicken. To butterfly, cut along both sides of the backbone with kitchen scissors and remove it. Flip the chicken over and press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten, or ask your butcher to prepare it.
- When cooking with Crispy Oven Fries simultaneously, place the chicken on the middle rack and the fries on the top rack to ensure even cooking.
- Marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance and keep covered in the refrigerator until cooking.
- Store leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- The chicken freezes well for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge or use microwave defrost, then reheat thoroughly.
- To reheat, cover the chicken with foil and warm in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 15–20 minutes or microwave in short bursts until hot.
- Leftover chicken can be shredded for wraps, added to salads with feta and lemon juice, or used in grilled sandwiches with cheese and avocado for a comforting meal.
Keywords: butterflied chicken, Portuguese chicken, roasted chicken, paprika chicken, garlic chicken, oven roasted chicken, toum sauce, crispy oven fries