Made in just one skillet, this Mediterranean chicken recipe comes together in less than 30-minutes. It’s packed with my favorite flavors from childhood: garlicky seared chicken, briny olives, creamy feta, tomatoes, and parsley. Fewer dishes, less time, and more flavor—that’s what I call weeknight dinner done right!
Weeknights can be busy so I tend to lean toward simple skillet meals like this Mediterranean chicken recipe.
It’s loaded with bright, fresh flavors thanks to the tomatoes, olives, and lemon—plus, like my one-pan Chicken and Asparagus recipe, cleanup is a snap. One skillet, a knife and a cutting board and you’re done!
I usually serve this recipe as it is, but it’s easy to stretch to serve a larger family or a crowd, by serving it over pasta or rice. There is plenty of sauce to sop up so pairing this skillet chicken recipe with a piece of crusty bread or Rosemary Focaccia would also work.
The best part? This recipe is so versatile! If you have spinach to use up, toss it in there just before serving. Have chicken thighs on hand instead of chicken breast? They’ll taste great! Wanting a dairy free chicken recipe? This Mediterranean chicken is flavorful and delicious with or without the feta.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need to Make Mediterranean Chicken
With its rich sauce and combination of bright and briney flavors, this skillet chicken recipe reminds me of Chicken Marbella‘s less-sweet cousin. And you probably have everything you need to make it in your fridge or pantry.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: I call for boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they’re so quick and easy to cook, but if you prefer the richness of bone in, skin on chicken breasts or even chicken thighs just give yourself some extra time. If you’re cooking with the skin on, make sure to start by rendering the skin in the hot pan until it’s crispy (about 7 minutes), then flip and brown the second side.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A smooth, peppery olive oil–like our Private Reserve EVOO from Kyparissia, Greece–really draws out and elevates the flavor of this garlicky chicken. It’s so good I sometimes drizzle a little on top just before serving!
- Flavor Makers: A combination of dried oregano and alliums like garlic and onion create the foundation of this dish. Salt just enhances the flavor of the other ingredients and pepper adds a little earthy warmth.
- Lemon juice: Acids like lemon juice or vinegar brighten the recipe and cut through any fat from the olive oil.
- Tomatoes: I used fresh tomatoes, but if tomatoes aren’t in season feel free to use 1 (15 oz) can of chopped tomatoes.
- Green olives: I love the punchiness of green olives for this recipe, but kalamata olives will also work. I love Castelvetrano olive so much I even turn them into Olive Salad, but if you don’t like olives, leave them out and substitute them with capers, or paper thin slices of fresh or preserved lemon.
- White wine: Look for a dry white wine—it adds a nice acidity to balance the richness of the chicken. A good rule of thumb for cooking wine is to avoid wines aged in oak, like some chardonnays, as they tend to give a bitter flavor. If you don’t cook with alcohol you can use extra chicken stock instead.
- Chicken stock: If you have homemade chicken stock go ahead and use it in this recipe to amp up the chicken flavor, but store bought will also work.
- Crumbled feta cheese: I love a creamy feta preserved in brine if you can get your hands on it (I just crumble the feta with my hands as I’m finishing the dish).
- Fresh parsley: I sprinkle it on at the end to add a pop of color and a light, fresh, herbal taste to the recipe.
How to Make Mediterranean Chicken
The best part about one-skillet dinners is how easy they are to make and how easy they are to clean up. Fewer dishes to do means more time with my family.
- Prep the chicken: Pat the chicken breasts dry. This helps skillet chicken get that nice golden-brown sear. Make three shallow slits on each side of the chicken breast.
- Season the chicken: Rub the garlic on both sides of the chicken, pushing some garlic into the slits you made. Season the chicken breasts all over with a heavy pinch of salt and pepper and 1/2 of the dried oregano.
- Sear the chicken: In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high until it shimmers. Add the chicken and sear on both sides, until you have a light golden color.
- Braise the chicken: Add the white wine and let reduce by half. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oregano on top and reduce the heat to medium. Cover with a lid or tightly with foil. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes on one side, then turn the chicken over and cook for another 6 minutes and cook until the thickest part of the chicken measures 165°F with an instant read thermometer.
- Finish the chicken and serve: Uncover and top with the chopped onions, tomatoes and olives. Cover again and cook for 3 minutes to soften the vegetables and bring all the flavors together. Finish with the parsley and feta cheese (if using). Enjoy!
What To Serve With Mediterranean Chicken
While this Mediterranean chicken recipe is delicious on its own, I love to serve it with a simple starch for soaking up the flavorful sauce.
I’m always looking for ways to add more vegetables to meal time. If that’s the case for you too then try my Mediterranean Couscous Salad, Italian Oven Roasted Vegetables or a simple Greek Green Bean Salad.
And if you’ve saved room for dessert, finish the night off with our Italian hot chocolate. It’s so rich and luxurious that a little goes a long way.
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Mediterranean Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic or garlic paste
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano, divided
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 4 small tomatoes, diced, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1/4 cup sliced green olives
- Handful of fresh parsley, stems removed, leaves chopped
- Crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Pat the chicken breasts dry. Make three shallow slits on each side of the chicken breast.
- Season the chicken: Rub the garlic on both sides of the chicken, pushing some garlic into the slits you made. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper and 1/2 of the dried oregano.
- Sear the chicken: In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Sear the chicken on both sides, then add the white wine and reduce by half.
- Braise the chicken: Add the lemon juice and chicken broth. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oregano on top and turn the heat to medium. Cover with a lid or tightly with foil. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes on one side, then turn the chicken over and cook for 5 to 6 additional minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Finish the chicken and serve: Uncover and top with chopped onions, tomatoes and olives. Cover again and cook for 3 minutes. Finish with the parsley and feta cheese (if using). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Pro-Tip: If you're working with larger and thicker boneless chicken breasts, you might be okay using only two breasts and splitting them into cutlets. To do so, place the chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Place one hand on top to hold the breast. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the chicken breast horizontally into two even pieces. It helps if you do this close to the edge of the cutting board.
- Change it up: This is one skillet chicken breast recipe that you can certainly tweak to your liking. Add a handful of spinach, switch out the olives for capers, throw in some extra herbs—really make this dish your own!
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams and spices.
Nutrition
*This post has recently been updated with new information for readers’ benefit.
I made this for dinner tonight and it is absolutely delicious! I added a bit of spinach that I had in the fridge to the dish and it was great. After eating, I immediately sent the recipe to my daughter as I know that she would love it. I am so going to make this for our friends for dinner when they come over. This recipe is a definite keeper!!
Awesome! Thanks, Kimberly!
This is delicious and easy. We substitute red wine.
Thanks for sharing, Kathy!
Hi Suzy, can you tell me the approximate weight of each chicken breast you used to come up with the calorie count and the protein count? I’ve been trying to lose some weight and would love to keep this recipe on my regular rotation.
Hi, Gina. We use a nutrition calculator that provides this information based on the ingredient list we input. It is just an estimate based on 2 average sized chicken breasts.
This recipe was quick, easy, and amazing.
This was delicious! We thoroughly enjoyed every bite. This will go in my dinner rotation fir sure! Thank you for sharing.
Yay! Thanks, Marianne!
We LOVED the flavors and quick prep/cook time! The only thing I changed was using Kalamata Olives instead of Green. This will be going into our “regular” meals! Thank you!!
That is great to hear!! Thanks, Sharon!
That looks so good!
Wow, what a versatile recipe! I was able to take these basics (along with recommendations from other comments) and really create an amazing dish that will be in our regular rotation!
I used six boneless, skinless chicken thighs in an oven-safe skillet. I followed the recipe for slitting the chicken and adding the minced garlic, s&p, and oregano, and browned in the pan. Then after adding the wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc) and chicken broth to deglaze the pan, I added some of the diced onion and diced baby portobello mushrooms. At that point I put the skillet in the oven for 10 min.
After returning the skillet to the stovetop, I added capers (not a fan of olives), chopped marinated artichoke hearts (and some oil from the jar), diced Roma tomatoes, and the rest of the chopped red onion. Then topped with red pepper flakes, fresh spinach and feta cheese! Served with glasses of Sauv Blanc and brown rice to soak up the sauce… omg. So good. It was amazing!!!
Sounds wonderful, Betsy! YUM!
Do you think kalamata olives will work instead of green olives? It is what I have on hand . . .
Hi Kaila, you can try kalamata olives. Really, you’re just looking for the briny olive flavor here.
This was the first mediterranean dish I’ve ever made and it was super fun to make and delicious! Unfortunately fresh herbs are hard to get (apparently during quarantine) so I had to use dried ones, but it was very tasty!
Thanks, Amanda! I’m glad you were able to find some doable substitutions!
I made this for the family tonight, used capers instead of olives as that is what I had on hand and it was absolutely delicious.
Thank you Suzy
Great idea! Thanks, Gillian!
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
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You’re welcome, Suzanne! Enjoy!!
Can you make this without an iron skillet?
Absolutely, Kathy! Hope you enjoy it!
This is a great recipe even after forgetting to get the fresh parsley. Had the leftovers for work today, only slightly warmed and tasted great not hot. My hubby loved this recipe so will be made again. Served over spinach noodles. The next time I may add fresh spinach the last 3 minutes! I am guessing I use this base sauce for several other recipes, tomatoes, jicama salad just to name a few! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad, Lisa! Thanks for sharing.
I’m going to have a dinner party for 15 people. How would I make this ahead of time without out the chicken drying out? The day of the party can I heat it up in the oven? Also should I serve the brown rice separate or layer it under the chicken ?
Hi Robin, I might advice you to look at this baked chicken recipe, which is similar, but may be more suitable for what you are looking to do: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/easy-italian-baked-chicken-recipe/ And I would then prep the chicken and everything and save in the baking dish in the fridge until the next day. Place it in the oven a few minutes before your guests arrive. Rice or other sides separate.
Hi Suzy,
This dish was fantastic! I probably did not reduce the liquid as much as I should have, but in the end, it created a delicious “sauce” for my brown rice. I am looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow.
Perfect! Yay for leftovers!