This recipe started with a container of leftover ripe green olives in the fridge. The thought of marinating those salty olives with chicken sounded enticing. I began throwing together all kinds of complimentary flavors– lime juice for a mild tartness, honey for sweetness, garlic and oregano, plus red pepper flakes for a kick. The result is my Mediterranean Olive Chicken– now a favorite recipe on my site, which is cooked in home kitchens all around the world. Who knew those leftover green olives would lead to something so popular and enduring?
I grew up eating a lot of chicken and a lot of fish. My mom and stepdad stuck to a heart-healthy diet, which meant that we rarely ate red meat. I used to complain about this when I was 6 or 7 years old… in fact, I had a little saying, which I liked to proclaim in sing-song fashion:
Chicken or fish, chicken or fish, all we ever eat is chicken or fish.
My mother, bless her heart, refrained from scolding me. She’d just smile, hand me my plate, and cheerfully announce that I was on dish duty. I quickly learned that I’d better stop complaining and eat up, or I’d be stuck doing dishes until I went to college.
Looking back, I find it funny that I was bummed about the lack of red meat in my childhood diet. Nowadays, I don’t eat much meat at all– in fact, I would say we’re about 80% vegetarian. We eat Mediterranean-style most of the time, which means we enjoy lots of veggies, fruits, whole grains and olive oil, and very little red meat. We prefer vegetarian entrees, but when we do choose to eat meat, it’s usually chicken or fish… more often chicken.
Because of our Mediterranean inclinations, I’m always coming up with new and creative ways to prepare chicken. I developed this recipe back in 2013 to use up those leftover olives in the refrigerator. After marinating and roasting, the chicken turned out just lovely… aromatic, herby, juicy and full of flavor. The marinade created delectable olive-laden pan drippings, so I skimmed the fat, added white wine, and whipped up a delicious sauce. It would make a great weeknight recipe, and it’s even special enough for a holiday meal. Try it and let me know what you think!
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Mediterranean Olive Chicken
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup chopped ripe green olives
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (if sensitive to spice, omit)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
- 4-5 pounds chicken pieces, bone in, skin on (I like using chicken thighs)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or potato starch (use potato starch for Passover)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the chopped olives, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, honey, lime zest, red pepper flakes and oregano. Season the marinade with salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle the chicken pieces lightly with salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces in a 9x13 ceramic or glass baking dish. Brush the pieces evenly with olive marinade, using all of the marinade to coat. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to overnight (overnight is best).
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and cover the baking dish with parchment or foil. If using foil, pierce a few vents with a sharp knife around the outer edges. If using parchment, simply cover the dish loosely.
- Place the covered dish in the oven. Let the chicken bake for 60 minutes, then remove the parchment or foil and cook for an additional 15-30 minutes, basting periodically, until well cooked and tender. At the end of cooking, you may broil it for a minute or two to brown the skin-- watch carefully to make sure it doesn't burn!Transfer chicken pieces to a platter. Carefully tip the baking dish so that the pan drippings and juices gather in one corner. Use a spoon to skim off the clear liquid fat, separating it from the solid drippings. Discard the fat.
- Pour the remaining drippings into a small saucepan along with ¼ cup of white wine. Heat the sauce slowly over medium.While sauce is heating, whisk together 1 tbsp cornstarch or 2 tsp potato starch and 2 tbsp water till smooth. Pour the starchy liquid into the saucepan and whisk until combined. Heat the sauce until bubbling and thickened.
- Serve the chicken topped with warm sauce. Note: this recipe is kosher for Passover if you use potato starch and Passover-approved products with a kosher hechsher.
NOTES
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Other Great Recipe Ideas
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Hi Tori – I was thinking about making your Mediterranean Olive Chicken for Passover but what is a “ripe green olive”.
I know there are many varieties of olives but is there a particular one best suited for this dish.
I’m assuming jarred olives won’t work well?
Thanks and Chag Kasher v’Sameach
Hi Linda, ripe green olives are usually in cans, they have a saltier flavor than jarred. You can certainly use jarred if you prefer the flavor, just know that you may have to compensate with a little more salt in the marinade.
Chicken with olives, one of my favorites.
You had me at “olive”.
We just marinated the chicken!! Let’s hope for the best for this Shabbat Dinner!!
Can this be made the night before? including the sauce?
Hi Shelley, you can make the chicken 1 day ahead, but I’m not really sure how the sauce will hold up overnight. It is worth a try, but you might have to reconstitute the sauce with some liquid (broth or water) to bring it back to the proper texture. I am just guessing here, as I haven’t tried it myself.
Looks delicious! I’m planning to make this tomorrow night. Can I skip out making the extra sauce at the end? Trying to avoid excess calories…thanks!!
Yes, absolutely. Enjoy!
This looks really enticing and inviting but I would like to know will it still work if you replace green olives with black olives??
Thnx!
They should work fine, though I do prefer the flavor of green olives in this particular dish.
This looks wonderful – if I wanted to use fish instead of chicken, what kind would you recommend?
this is my second time making this chicken. It’s Odessa’s favorite. xo
i have a jar of almond stuffed green olives looking for a recipe, you have provided it. love that you use chili flakes, and lime juice.
thanks, tori
I made this the other night and even my teenage boys devoured it coming back for seconds. They said I needed to make this again. Yummy!
Sorry I wasn’t more specific. I can buy chicken breasts on the bone and request that the skin be removed by the butcher. Or I could remove the skin myself after cooking. Would either of these options work?
Thanks,Tori!
Hi Marcia, no problem. I would recommend you remove the skin yourself after cooking… it will be much more flavorful cooked with the skin, it will help to lock the juices into the meat. Enjoy!
This looks delicious and I am anxious to give it a try, but I prefer to use skinless chicken in all of my recipes. Will this be a problem?
Thanks!
Hi Marcia… do you mean a skinless whole chicken or boneless skinless chicken breasts? Either way it will turn out dry if you cook it as written with no skin. If you let me know which cut you’re referring to, I can suggest a modification.
Hi,
I also don’t have access to kosher chickens with skin on. If we are using skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, what modification would you suggest?
Hi Joelle, marinate the breasts in the olive mixture for 1 hour up to overnight, then broil or grill the breasts till cooked through (make sure you don’t cook them too long or they’ll turn out dry). I sometimes pound the breasts to an even thickness before marinating, this helps them to cook more evenly.
How long should it be in the oven if it’s with chicken breast (no bones , no skin) ?
Do you think it would work also on the grill?
And what is if I would slice the breast thin like schnitzel and then roll it off with the marinada?
And can I use olives from the can ?
Hi Angelina. If broiling in the oven, pound the breasts to an even thickness, then marinate. Place on a baking sheet 4-6 inches below the broiler and let it broil for 7 minutes, flip, then let them cook for 5-7 minutes longer until cooked through. You could definitely grill it. I don’t understand what you mean by “roll it off” with the marinade. Yes, you can use olives from the can.
I think it’s pretty! Looks especially delicious!
Passover is right around the corner, my sister-in-law and I were already discussing the menu and table decor – going to be spring green and lavender this year. Still working on the menu, but keeping the quinoa we served for the first time last year, big hit…
LL
Looks so good, I love the story about you and washing the dishes. I just found this site and really love recipes, they are what I love the internet for, recipe people seem to be like family to me. I am also addicted to the weather network, minus 39 here tonite, and will be for the next three nites, that’s almost 40 below zero and I am loving it, need some good recipes for the cold weather. thx
This looks fabulous! Made my mouth water just reading the ingredients. 🙂
Well done! ~ April
it is a super recipe
What a beautiful chicken dish! Will be trying soon 🙂
We made this tonight for Shabbat (with Kalamata olives). It was AMAZING!! Thanks Tori!
You had me at olives! OMGoodness.
This looks delicious and simple. Can’t wait to try it soon!