Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Mediterranean Chicken Recipe
Lemon and marinated olives make this chicken especially appealing, with a savory pan sauce to ladle over each thigh. The garlic coating gives the meat plenty of flavor before it reaches the plate.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 13 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- Spanish · Mediterranean
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Rub the paste all over
Combine the garlic and seasoning paste first, then work it over the thighs until they're evenly coated.
2. Brown before making sauce
Brown the thighs on both sides and set aside before cooking onion and garlic in the same pan.
3. Loosen the pan with wine
Add lemon slices and wine, stirring to release the browned bits before the broth and chicken return.
Get to know the ingredients
Boneless skinless thighs
Use boneless thighs for the stated cooking sequence; bone-in thighs need longer cooking.
Marinated olives
Use the marinated olives you have on hand, halving them if they're large.
Garlic paste or minced garlic
Either garlic paste or minced garlic can make the seasoning coating that's rubbed into the raw thighs.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. 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 Mediterranean Chicken Recipe
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
Let the pan stand briefly
Take the pan off heat for its rest, then ladle olives and some remaining liquid over the chicken to serve.
A little more help as you go
Prepared chicken can wait
You can prepare the coated thighs up to twenty-four hours ahead, covered and refrigerated until cooking.
Choose a wine you enjoy
Use a white wine you like. Its flavor concentrates as it cooks in the sauce.
A few questions you might have
When do I add the olives?
Add them after the returned chicken and broth have simmered briefly, then continue the final simmer with olives.
Are lemon slices only a garnish?
They cook in the pan with wine before the broth and chicken return, becoming part of the sauce.
Should I stir the onions while they soften?
Stir them frequently with garlic and salt until soft before adding the lemon and wine.
Does the resting pan need to become dry?
The directions leave some liquid after resting; serve that remaining liquid and the olives over the thighs.
When do the two garlic additions go in?
Garlic paste coats the chicken first; the separate minced cloves cook with onion after the chicken browns.
Any more cooking tips?
You can prepare the chicken thighs up to 24 hours ahead. Just cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. Garlic Paste: This is blended garlic with a touch of oil, sold at most grocery stores. You can use fresh garlic instead. Wine: When a recipe calls for wine, use one that you like. The flavor of the wine will concentrate as it cooks, so it’s important to choose one that you enjoy. Chicken Thighs: This recipe calls for boneless thighs. If you want to use bone-in thighs, you can, but remember that bone-in chicken thighs will need to cook longer than boneless thighs. Olives: I used Tomato & Pepper Marinated Olives here, and they’re delicious, but you can use whatever marinated olives you have on hand. If they are on the larger side, cut them in half.
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: diethood.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
