Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
One Pan Mediterranean Chicken
Lemony sauce with olives and capers gives these chicken thighs a lively, savory character. Tomatoes and zucchini soften around the meat, leaving plenty of sauce to spoon across the plate. The golden chicken skin makes an especially tempting place to start dinner.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 17 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner · Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- Mediterranean
- Cooking method
- One pan · One pot & sheet pan
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Get the chicken dry first
Patting the chicken dry helps the skin brown instead of steam. It’s worth doing before the paprika, salt, and pepper go on, since that first sear sets up the flavor in the pan.
2. Keep the browned bits
After the wine, broth, lemon juice, and tomatoes go in, scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon. Those browned bits from the chicken are meant to melt into the sauce.
3. Use the thermometer here
The chicken simmers covered until it reaches at least 165°F. Bone-in thighs can vary a little, so the thermometer is the cleanest way to know they’re cooked through.
Get to know the ingredients
Bone-in thighs
These are browned skin-side down first, then simmered in the sauce. Trimming extra fat and drying the skin before seasoning helps the pan sear start off properly.
Kalamata olives and capers
Both bring salty, briny flavor to the sauce, so they go in with the tomatoes and liquids rather than at the very end. Drain the capers first, as listed.
Fresh parsley
The parsley is divided on purpose. Half cooks into the sauce with the oregano, garlic, and tomatoes, while the rest goes on at the end for a fresher finish.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 6 steps completeMake room for One Pan Mediterranean Chicken
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
After the chicken is cooked, lift it out and give the sauce its extra simmer so it can reduce and thicken slightly. Then tuck the chicken back in and finish with the remaining parsley and lemon slices.
A little more help as you go
Let the vegetables soften, not disappear
The onion and zucchini get a short head start before the sauce ingredients go in. You’re looking for slightly tender pieces, since they’ll keep cooking once the chicken returns to the pan.
About the salt
The listed amounts are based on Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided between the chicken and sauce. For sea salt, reduce the total to one and a half teaspoons: one teaspoon for the chicken and half a teaspoon for the sauce.
A few questions you might have
Why do I remove the chicken before reducing the sauce?
The chicken is already cooked by then. Taking it out lets the sauce simmer down and thicken slightly without continuing to cook the thighs the whole time.
Should the chicken be skin-side down when it goes back into the sauce?
The recipe only specifies skin-side down for the first sear. After that, return the chicken to the pan, cover it, and simmer until it reaches at least 165°F.
What should I do if the pan bottom looks browned after searing?
Leave it. Once the liquids go in, scrape those browned bits up with a spoon and stir them into the sauce. They add flavor rather than being something to wash away.
Do the tomatoes need to be cut first?
No cutting is listed for the cherry tomatoes. They go into the pan with the olives, garlic, wine, broth, lemon juice, oregano, capers, honey, parsley, and remaining seasoning.
Can I use a Dutch oven instead of a skillet?
Yes. The instructions call for a large wide skillet or a 3.3 Qt Dutch oven, so either works as long as there’s room to brown the chicken and simmer everything together.
Any more cooking tips?
Serve with sliced lemon as garnish! I like to slice lemon wedges and grill them on a cast iron griddle for 2 minutes per side to give them a beautiful char. This recipe makes extra delicious liquidy sauce, so you can spoon it over rice or quinoa! You can use boneless skinless chicken breast as well. Just reduce the cooking time to 15-20 minutes, being careful not to overcook it. You can substitute vegetable broth with chicken broth if that’s what you have in your kitchen! I use 6 garlic cloves as a good middle-ground amount but feel free to use more (10-12 cloves or less, 3-4 cloves depending on your garlic preference. I’d always use more, personally! Don’t have parsley ? Feel free to swap with cilantro or dill. It will change the flavor, but still be super delicious! This recipe is tested with Diamond Crystals Kosher salt. If using sea salt, reduce the amount to 1 ½ teaspoons total since sea salt is more potent. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon and add ½ tsp to the sauce mixture. Red onion: Feel free to use 3 medium shallots instead if you prefer! Zucchini: Feel free to use a combination of zucchini and peppers, or use part asparagus or another veggie that you love! If one doesn’t have ⅛ teaspoon, that is just a small pinch.)
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: gimmedelicious.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
