Best of 2000: Best Lemon Chicken

Athens Market
109 West F Street, Downtown
(619) 234-1955

Say the words "lemon chicken" and diners think of the Chinese version, in which the breast of chicken is breaded, deep-fried, and doused with a lemon sauce. The Greek version is more pungent, and no one does a better job than the Athens Market. A marinade is prepared from freshly squeezed lemon and olive oil plus oregano, salt, and pepper. Potatoes are quartered, dried, and placed at the bottom of a baking pan. Chicken is cut into pieces. Although the skin is left on, all the fat is removed. The fowl goes into the same marinade that held the potatoes and when coated is arranged on top of the potatoes. A glass of water with a few spoons of tomato purée is the only liquid that goes into the pan. Baked at 350 for one and a half hours, the result is crispy chicken with a subtle lemon flavor enhanced by roasted potatoes. It's on the menu at Athens Market nightly.