Roasted chicken and potatoes in the indirect wood-fired oven

Cut the potatoes into quarters lengthwise. Rinse the chicken thighs. Make sure you use freshly ground pepper, fresh thyme, and fresh oregano, as well. Use fleur de sel for better taste. Place potatoes inside a clay baking tray. The use of this particular tray is what enhances the flavor of the dish since heat is transferred evenly and at various wavelengths through clay. This is not the case when using a metallic tray.

Pour lemon juice over the potatoes and chicken thighs. Sprinkle the spices onto the chicken and potatoes, so they’re evenly coated. Chop garlic and add it, too. Lastly, pour extra virgin olive oil over them. Add as much water as needed to cover the potatoes halfway with liquid. Now, we’re ready for cooking it in the oven.

Before preparing the ingredients, preheat the indirect wood-fired oven, since it takes some time to heat up. First, clean the ashes from the previous cooking cycle out of your oven and then place kindling in the center of the fire chamber. Light the kindling and slowly add thin pieces of wood for developing flame. On top of the burning kindling and wood, place thicker pieces of dry wood, preferably hardwood. Wood should be dry, as we mentioned before, and split into pieces 5-6 cm thick. Fill the chamber gradually with thick pieces and let them burn. When the temperature reaches 200⁰C-220⁰C (392⁰F- 428⁰F) and the fire has burned down to embers, you’re ready to roast. At this point, the temperature stops rising. 

When you place the clay baking tray inside the oven, you’ll notice that temperature drops in the first couple of minutes. That’s because the clay baking tray absorbs a large amount of heat, so does the food inside the tray, and the cooking process begins. A few minutes later, the temperature will drop slowly and steadily, which is what we want for a well-cooked dish.

Devote time in the slow-cooking to enjoy a dish that is bursting with flavor and full taste of your ingredients. Depending on the temperature’s level and the amount of wood used at the beginning, your food will be ready in 2 hours, though you may also have to wait a little longer. In any case, the longer it takes, the better it tastes!

Remove from the oven, when the potatoes and chicken get a nice color. Let it cool down first before enjoying this dish with your family and friends.

Happy cooking everyone!