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
You probably have everything you need to make this skillet chicken recipe 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 ½ 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 ½ 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
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 4 small tomatoes, diced, about 1 ½ cups
- ¼ 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 ½ 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 ½ 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.
This looks like a yummy dish.
What would you serve with it to make complete meal?
Thanks
Hi, Sharon! This is a good one, I hope you give it a try! Right above the recipe card towards the end of the post, you'll find a section called "What To Serve With Mediterranean Chicken" with some great suggestions.
Love your simple & delicious recipes. Healthy & use ingredients that are staples in your kitchen.
So good! My whole family loved it. Only concern I had is mine was more like a soup not a sauce. What did I do wrong? (I did double the recipe for our larger family.) It was more like a broth but still delicious.
Add a little tapioca starch (mixed with 1TBS cold water) Or cornstarch. It will thicken the sauce without adding flavor. If you add too much, add some water or broth back. The sauce can become as thick or as thin as you want. I personally did this because I wanted the sauce to coat the back of spoon. I then steamed some vegetables. When put on the plate, the sauce flavored the vegetables as well. It was delicious and the recipe is now one of my favorites for chicken.
I just made this tonight and mine too was more like a broth, but that's one of the things I loved about it! After I put away the leftovers, I had a nice little bowl of delicious soup!
I could eat this everyday ! Love the capers and olives in it
This was an absolute hit and everyone in the family is obsessed with it! Thank you so much, I never thought I would have them begging for leftovers!
This recipe sounds very easy for a non-cook like me to handle. The ingredients are basic but delicious. I am having friends for lunch next week and will try this dish out on them. Thank you.
Absolutely delicious! My whole family approved!
Yay! Thanks, Silvia!
That was out of this world! I cook a lot and I’m not bad at all and my wife said this is the best I’ve ever cooked.
This was a disaster! The times given in the recipe were way too long. When I took off the lid after the second half if braising, the sauce was burned to the pan and the chicken was so dry … and I didn’t even filet or tenderize it. To top it off, when I took the lid off at the end of the last three minutes, the veggies were raw and cold. We added more wine to try to salvage it, but the burned flavor and was just too much.
I have not tried this yet but it looks wonderful! Could I make this berorehand and warm back up when I have company coming?
Sure, you could try that, Lutgart. We recommend reheating on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a little water and covering the skillet to reheat gently without drying out.
can you substitute shallots for the red onion?
Sure! Enjoy!
WOW. I was just looking to make something that I happen to have all the ingredients on hand and wouldn’t need to go shopping. Honestly, I didn’t have very high expectations but this was incredible! 10 stars will definitely make again.
Thanks so much, Diana!
Amazing. Thank you for yet another tasty, delicious, and easy to make meal.
This was so good. Used sun dried tomatoes instead of regular. My husband who doesn’t like Mediterranean (shocking, I know!) really liked it. So juicy and flavorful. Will be on our weekly menu.
Yay! Hopefully we can help you win him over with some of our other recipes :).
This was fabulous. Added the onion, tomato and olives at the end of braising. Used boneless,skinless thighs. Adjusted braising time accordingly.
This is another winner.
Thanks, Suzy!
Thanks, Susan! Appreciate the kind review!
Can you adapt this to cook in a slow cooker/crock pot? X
You probably can, Becky. It is so quick and simple to make on the stovetop, though, and I really think the flavor would be better.
It was very yummy (didn't have olives included) and i added a side of rice. Even my mother enjoyed it 🙂 Id make again for sure.