Dalmatian Peka-Style Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

A stunning Croatian coastal classic — tender, golden chicken thighs and crispy-edged potatoes slow-roasted under a bell (or foil dome) with fragrant herbs, white wine, and garlic. Traditionally cooked under a peka bell buried in embers, this home oven version delivers all the magic: impossibly juicy meat, herb-scented potatoes, and caramelized pan juices you'll want to drink straight from the dish. Dairy-free, soy-free, and deeply, deeply satisfying.

Ingredients

  • 3.5 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks, patted dry
  • 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1½-inch wedges
  • 2 large red onion, cut into thick wedges
  • 10 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 2 medium red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into thick strips
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for serving
  • 2 medium lemon, 1 zested and juiced, 1 sliced into rounds
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1½ tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt
  • ½ tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Pull out your largest oven-safe roasting dish or cast iron pan — you want everything to fit in a single mostly-even layer, so it roasts rather than steams.
  2. Pat 3.5 lb (1.6 kg) chicken pieces completely dry with paper towels — this is the single most important step for crispy skin. Dry chicken = golden skin. Wet chicken = sad, steamed skin.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 6 tbsp (90 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tsp dried oregano, 1½ tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp fine sea salt, ½ tsp red chili flakes, the zest of 1 lemon, the juice of 1 lemon, and 1 tbsp (15 ml) coconut aminos. This is your hero marinade.
  4. Add the dried chicken to the marinade bowl and toss to coat every surface. Really get in there and massage it into the skin. Set the chicken aside in the bowl while you prep the vegetables.
  5. Cut 2 lb (900 g) Yukon Gold potatoes into 1½-inch wedges and add them to the roasting pan. Cut 2 large red onions into thick wedges and add them. Smash and peel 10 garlic cloves and scatter them in. Deseed and thickly slice 2 red bell peppers and add those too.
  6. Drizzle the vegetables with a little extra olive oil, a pinch of salt, and toss directly in the pan to coat. Spread them into an even layer across the bottom of the pan — this is your vegetable base that will catch all the gorgeous chicken drippings.
  7. Nestle the marinated chicken pieces skin-side UP on top of the vegetable bed. Tuck 4 rosemary sprigs and 6 thyme sprigs around and underneath the chicken pieces. Scatter 1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes around the pan. Lay lemon rounds from the second lemon over the top.
  8. Pour ½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine and ½ cup (120 ml) chicken stock into the pan — pour it around the sides, not over the chicken skin. This liquid will steam-roast the potatoes and create the most incredible pan sauce.
  9. Cover the pan very tightly with two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, crimping it firmly around the edges to create a sealed dome — this is your DIY peka bell! The trapped steam is what makes everything so incredibly tender. Place in the oven.
  10. Roast covered at 425°F (220°C) for 50 minutes. Don't lift the foil — trust the process and let that steam work its magic.
  11. After 50 minutes, carefully remove the foil (watch out — a face full of steam is nobody's idea of fun). The chicken should look pale and cooked through at this point. That's perfect — now we're going to get gorgeous. Increase the oven temperature to 475°F (245°C) or switch to the broil setting. Return the pan uncovered to the top third of the oven.
  12. Roast uncovered for 20–25 minutes, watching closely, until the chicken skin is deeply golden and crackling, and the potato edges are caramelized and crispy. The juices should be bubbling and slightly reduced. If some potatoes look like they're catching too fast, gently nestle them under the chicken.
  13. Remove from the oven and let the whole pan rest for 10 minutes — this lets the juices redistribute back into the meat and gives the sauce time to settle into something spectacular.
  14. While resting, roughly chop ½ cup (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley. Scatter it over the whole pan just before serving. Spoon the beautiful pan juices generously over everything. Serve straight from the roasting dish at the table — the presentation is too good to transfer.