Roasted Lemon Chicken Thighs and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds small potatoes, halved or quartered
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

1. Set an oven rack in the middle position and warm the oven to 450°F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil lightly with oil. In the middle of the pan, nestle the lemon halves together with the cut surfaces facing up. Slick those cut sides with 2 tsp. of the oil. Roast them for 25 to 27 minutes, stopping when their edges start to color and the foil beneath them looks dark, brown, and syrupy.
2. Using tongs, flip the lemons and drag the cut sides across the browned patches on the foil so the sticky caramelized bits release; the pulp will pick up color. Move the lemons and any pan juices to a rimmed plate, then leave them until fully cool. Set the baking sheet aside for later.
3. Reduce the oven to 425°F. Once the lemons have cooled, press 4 halves, pulp and all, into a large bowl. Pour in the juices collected on the plate; they should be thick and syrupy. Measure in the salt, 1-1/2 tsp.; the granulated garlic, 1-1/2 tsp.; the oil, 1 tsp.; and the pepper, 1/4 tsp., then whisk until blended. Put the chicken in the bowl and turn it through the mixture. Leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring it around now and then. Arrange the chicken, skin facing up, in a single layer on the saved baking sheet. Smear whatever marinade is left in the bowl over the pieces.
4. In that same bowl, add the potatoes. Pour in the remaining oil, 3 Tbs., then add granulated garlic, 1-1/2 tsp.; salt, 1 tsp.; and pepper, 1/2 tsp. Toss until coated, then scatter the potatoes onto the pan with the chicken, keeping them in a single layer.
5. Roast the pan until the potatoes have turned lightly golden-brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest section of a thigh reads 165°F; toss the potatoes midway through. Plan on about 40 minutes.
6. While that cooks, press the remaining 2 lemon halves, pulp included, into a small bowl; this juice will also be thick and syrupy. Finely chop the peel from 1 of those halves and discard the other peel. Add the chopped peel to the bowl with the honey and oregano, and stir everything together. Paint the lemon-honey mixture across the chicken thighs. Slide the pan back into the oven for 5 minutes. Move the chicken to a plate and cover it loosely with foil.
7. Switch the broiler to high. Broil the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, rotating the pan partway through, until they’re golden. Transfer the chicken and potatoes to a large platter, finish with oregano sprigs, and serve.