Chicken and Olives – a simple but elegant Mediterranean Chicken dish that takes under 30 minutes to make! Seared chicken breasts in a lemony sauce enhanced with a bit of the brine from the olives makes this easy one pan dish a stand out!
This beautiful and healthy chicken dinner is perfect for weeknight and elegant enough for company. Simple and fresh ingredients with a bit of a salty kick from olive brine make this 30 minute one pan meal a regular at our home.
What kind of olives do I use in this dish?
- We used a blend of pitted kalamata and manzanilla olives. You can find these in the pickle section of most every grocery store. Of course you can head to your fancy olive bar section, but make sure you get a bit of brine with your olives as you’ll need a few tablespoons for the sauce.
- NOTE: We used the brine of the manzanilla olives in this dish as the kalamata olive brine is dark and just not very pretty. Tasty but not attractive :).
How to make Chicken and Olives –
We start by seasoning the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and dried or fresh thyme. We use the thyme on only one side of the chicken so it does not over power the dish. A quick sear then remove the chicken to a plate.
Now the super fast sauce! Chicken stock, lemon juice, olive brine and toss in the olives.
Simmer and reduce by half. Add the chicken back to the pan to finish cooking.
What do I serve with this chicken dish?
- Easy Baked Rice
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Steamed Broccoli
- Simple Green Salad
- Baked Potato
How to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts:
- For bone in thighs: sear with skin on or off. 5 minutes on each side. Remove to plate. Follow directionsto make sauce and add back to pan. Simmer about 20 minutes in olive sauce until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
- For boneless thighs: sear with skin on or off. 3-5 minutes on each side Remove to plate. Follow directions to make sauce and add back to pan. Simmer about 10 minutes in olive sauce until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
A few more easy chicken recipes we think you will love:
- Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Chicken in Tomato Sauce
- Cheesy Chicken and Mushroom
- Air Fryer BBQ Chicken
Let’s EAT!
Kathi and Rachel
Chicken and Olives
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup sliced onion
- 3 cloves garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup Manzanilla olives : in brine
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive brine ; reserved from Manzanilla olives
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley ; chopped for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Season one side of chicken with thyme.
- Heat large skillet with olive oil on medium high heat. Sear chicken on both sides for 3-5 minutes until a nice crust forms. Remove to a plate. (Your chicken will not be cooked all the way though. It will continue to cook in the sauce).
- Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pan. Saute until slightly brown. Add garlic, cook for a minute until fragrant. Add olives and cook for another minute.
- Add chicken stock, lemon juice and reserved olive brine. Simmer until reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes. Add butter, stir until melted. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
- Add chicken back to pan. Cover and continue to cook another 5-7 minutes until chicken is done and meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired.
Hello and Happy New Year ladies!
I have a question about your chicken and olives recipe. Have you ever made your recipe in a small 3 quart crockpot? I’m thinking, just browning the chicken then transferring it to my crock pot to finish cooking through would either ruin the recipe or be suitable for your recipe. I only ask as I am dealing with a nasty flare up of severe spinal pain that makes standing for more than a few minutes, especially standing over a gas burner on my cooktop very hard to do.
Thank you.
I am so sorry you have pain Joycelyn. I had spinal fusion 7 years ago and I know what it’s like. To answer your question, yes, I think a crock pot would be fine with this recipe. My only thing with slow cookers is they tend to dry out chicken breasts, so best to cook it until just done. 2 hours should suffice. Hope you feel better soon! Kathi
Thank you so much, Kathi. It’s amazing how constant back pain ends up controlling ones daily life eh?. I don’t know much about spinal fusion but will be asking my Doctor about it this Thursday as I can’t deal with this much longer.
Thank you again for the advice on using my crockpot. Much appreciated.