Kalamata and Lemon Baked Chicken
Spice up dinner tonight with this Kalamata and Lemon Baked Chicken recipe. Naturally gluten free, dairy free and full of flavor. This chicken makes a great leftover to chop up and eat cold in a lunch salad the next day.
What helps to bring your baked chicken dinner to life? Adding some lemons and olives. I was working at my client's house and was trying to think up something different to do with chicken that night. They happen to have a beautiful Meyer lemon tree in the backyard which gave me the idea to add lemons into the dish. Lemons and chicken just naturally go together, and the olives bring in a salty character.
I started by pan searing the chicken and then deglazing the pan with some wine. You can use regular chicken stock too. Then place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the sauce from the pan over it, and place it in the oven and bake.
Mediterranean-style dish
A vibrant, Mediterranean-style dish featuring chicken (typically thighs) marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and herbs (oregano, rosemary), then baked with Kalamata olives and lemon slices
Grill the Kalamata and Lemon Chicken
If you want to grill the chicken instead, you can try this alternate approach using the same ingredients:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a large Ziploc bag.
Whisk together the stock, vinegar, garlic, mustard, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest and pour into bag along with the olives and shallots. Marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours, up to overnight.
Remove chicken from marinade and place on a hot grill, until not quite done, just long enough to get grill marks, about 5 minutes a side. Then place in baking dish, pour the marinade over the top, making sure to get all the olives and shallots and bake for 30 to 40 minutes uncovered. Before serving, zest more lemon over the top and sprinkle with chopped parsley, or more fresh thyme.
More Lemon Recipes
While you have the lemons out and are squeezing the juice, make a mug of this hot Lemon Tea and give your immune system a boost. Even better if you are using Meyer Lemons.
Pair this recipe with
A Big Green Salad
Roasted Greek Potatoes
Quinoa Salad
Sauteed Green Beans
Printer-Friendly Recipe
Kalamata and Lemon Baked Chicken
Lemons and olives are a wonderful flavor combination with chicken, add lots of fresh herbs to brighten this dish up. Great as a grill recipe too.
Ingredients
- 2 -3 pounds chicken breasts and thighs
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- ½ cup white wine
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, minced, about 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
- 2 teaspoons lightly chopped thyme leave
- ½ cup whole, pitted Kalamata olives
- 2 medium shallots sliced, about ½ cup
- Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees
- Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.
- Place large saute pan over medium high heat, add 2 tsp oil and when hot place 2 to 3 pieces of chicken in pan without overcrowding. Do not move for 2 to 3 minutes to allow chicken to turn golden brown, flip over and brown the other side, about 2 more minutes. Place in large baking dish, and repeat until all pieces are browned, adding a little oil in between if needed. Turn heat down to medium and pour in the wine to deglaze, scraping off any bits stuck to the pan. Remove from heat and pour over the chicken.
- In a medium bowl, combine stock, vinegar, garlic, mustard, rosemary and thyme, and pour over the chicken. Add olives and shallots tucking them into the liquid around the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the chicken.
- Cover dish with foil and place in oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice and a big spoon so your guests may capture the tasty sauce in the baking dish.
Notes
If you want to GRILL the chicken, do this 4 hours ahead or overnight:
Season with salt and pepper and place in a large Ziploc bag. Wisk together the stock, vinegar, garlic, mustard, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest and pour into bag along with the olives and shallots. Marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours, up to overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and place on a hot grill, until not quite done, just long enough to get grill marks, about 5 minutes a side. Then place in baking dish, pour the marinade over the top, and bake for 40 minutes uncovered. Before serving, zest more lemon over the top and sprinkle with chopped parsley, or more fresh thyme.
