Chicken and bacon roast with tzatziki
Okay, today I’m in a cooking mood. Sundays in the summer time are great for BBQ’s as we all know, yet today I went for a meal in the oven. Wish I could serve you all a plate but here’s the next best thing: grab the recipe and give it a try in the comfort of your own home!
CHICKEN & BACON ROAST WITH TZATZIKI
(serves 2)
Ingredients for the roast
Half a chicken breast cut in 6-8 square chunks
3-4 rashers of bacon
3-4 medium potatoes cut in about 5-6 chunks each.
Extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper, oregano
1 clove of garlic
1 cup of hot water
The juice of half a lemon
Ingredients for the tzatziki
200 gr of Greek yoghourt
Half a large cucumber
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon wine vinegar (preferably white)
1 clove of garlic
Dill
Spearmint
salt
Preparation
Prepare the tzatziki at least 3 hours in advance as it needs time in the oven to chill (at least 2 hours).
Grate the cucumber with its skin, sprinkle a lot of salt on it, mix well and leave it in a sieve to drain for half an hour.
In a bowl, chop the garlic clove and sprinkle some salt on it, then use a garlic crusher. Place the crushed garlic in the bowl. Squeeze the cucumber in your hand a little at a time to extract any remaining liquid, then place in the bowl. Add the yoghourt, the olive oil, vinegar and herbs. Mix well with a spoon until smooth. Cover with cling film and leave in fridge to chill at least for 2 hours (it remains fresh to eat for hours on end there, even days).
To make the roast:
Preheat the oven at 195 degrees, to cook with grill and air.
Cut the rashers of bacon in half. Wrap one piece around each chunk of chicken, tucking the edges underneath as you place them on the oven dish. Sprinkle with pepper and oregano.
Place the potato chunks in a bowl, sprinkle pepper and oregano and mix well. Scatter them between the chicken pieces in the oven dish.
Chop the garlic clove coarsely and scatter the pieces in the oven dish.
Drizzle the food with olive oil (about 3-4 tablespoons).
Throw in the hot water at the side of the dish so that it doesnt fall upon the food, then gently rock the oven dish in your hands for the water to be evenly distributed. The food should be submerged about half way.
Cook for 40 minutes, then take out of the oven, use two forks to turn over the meat and the potato pieces gently. Sprikle salt and put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes.
Pour the lemon juice over the food, switch off the oven and leave it in for another couple of minutes before serving.
Serve with the tzatziki and a green salad.
Good appetite! Kali Orexi!
Notes:
On the pictured meal, I dared a couple of variations that worked quite well: a) chopped fresh rosemary instead of oregano, b) added a few sticks of carrot.
A note on the tzatziki: It is equally delicious without herbs, just with dill, just with spearmint or with both. It’s up to you what to go for. I love using both herbs but don’t feel like you have to!
