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.

📝 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 (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 whole chicken, butterflied (1.2–1.8 kg / 2 1/2–4 lb)
• Crispy oven fries (store-bought or homemade)
• Good-quality store-bought toum (garlic sauce)
• Lemon wedges for serving

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F) or 200°C (400°F) fan-forced to prepare for roasting the chicken.
2. 2Prepare 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.
3. 3Butterfly 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.
4. 4Marinate 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.
5. 5Roast 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.
6. 6Rest the chicken: Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute before cutting.
7. 7Serve: Cut the chicken into quarters and serve alongside crispy oven fries, a dollop of toum for garlicky tang, and lemon wedges for squeezing over.