My best memories of growing up involve spending time with my cousins. My family is pretty big, and I’m impressed by how my parents and their siblings, despite living in separate cities, found the time to keep us all together. One of my cuzzies, Trinati, has been on my mind a lot lately because she’s expecting a baby (girl!!!) soon. Growing up, I loved when she pretended she was my big sister (we were both blue-eyed blondes). I even had myself basically convinced that even though we are related on our mothers’ side, her dad’s mom was my grandma too. Or my YiaYia to be exact. Toula was an amazing Greek woman who we were all obsessed with. I have so many memories of her. She taught my mom how to make this chicken dish, that I am excited to now share with you all!

I’ve been at my mom to teach me how to make this for AGES and she’s always like, “it’s not a recipe, I just throw it all together.” I finally pinned her down and measured out what goes into it – just for you. You’re welcome.

Chicken Toula is a lemony, herby masterpiece that couldn’t be easier to throw together. You basically just put the chicken, beans, and potatoes in a big roasting pan and sprinkle over a handful of oregano. Then you blitz the sauce ingredients in your blender, pour over, and roast. It lasts about a week in the fridge, and tastes best on the last day you eat it. You can use it to feed a crowd, or do what I do and make in on Sunday and then proceed to eat it for lunch and dinner for a week and never get sick of it because it is that flipping amazing.

I’ve made this with fresh and frozen green beans, large and small potatoes, bone-in and boneless chicken. It’s good all the ways. My mom insists the chicken should have the bones to add to the flavour of the sauce (and she’s right – it does add), but I’m a little lazy so unless she is with me to debone all the chicken after, I just toss in an entire package of Costco boneless chicken thighs and call it a day. This does take a while to roast, but don’t let the long cooking time scare you. The hands on time is so minimal! This serves a crowd - about 10.

Chicken Toula

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F.
Arrange the chicken, beans and potatoes in a roasting pan, and sprinkle the oregano over.
Blend all sauce ingredients except the water, and pour over the base ingredients (try to cover every piece in sauce).
Pour 1/2 cup water into the blender and swish it around to get out all the yumminess, and pour into a corner of the roasting pan so you don't wash off any sauce from the base ingredients.
Bake with lid on at 325 for 2 hours.
Increase head to 375F and bake for 45 more minutes, basting or stirring the ingredients about every 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and turn oven off. You can choose to debone the chicken or serve bone-on.
Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the base

6 chicken thighs & drumsticks (bone in, skinless)
4 chicken breasts (bone in, skinless)
2 x 500g bags frozen green beans
4 large potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks (or equivalent of small potatoes)
1/4 cup oregano

For the sauce

1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 cup ReaLemon
1 cup EVOO
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup water