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)
NOTES
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.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Other Great Recipe Ideas
The Pioneer Woman: Herb Roasted Whole Chicken
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Recipe Girl: Cilantro Chicken
Kalyn’s Kitchen: Chicken Souvlaki
Leite’s Culinaria: Peruvian Roast Chicken
Nicole says
I made the recipe it was great. The sauce at the end was a sticky, gross mess so I omitted it. It was probably because I didn’t have a glass or ceramic dish so I used a regular baking pan. You gotta use what you have, you know? But it’s great even without the additional sauce. The chicken was soooo good and perfectly cooked. This is my third recipe I’ve tried from this site, and the first one that came out delicious! (The others were okay.)
Andee says
I made this for the second night of Rosh Rosh Hashanah, it was a perfect 10 !!! I served it with yellow rice mixed with sautéed raisins (they plumb up) and slivered almonds. This is a keeper and I will defiantly be making it again soon. Thank you for such a great & easy recipe!
Janah says
Made this in the spring and everyone loved it! I plan to make it again for Rosh Hashana. I want to serve it with a rice or cous cous – any suggestions? The sauce was so good, I’d like to put it over something.
Tori Avey says
Saffron rice would be lovely – https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/saffron-rice/ or mujadara! https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/mujadara/ I agree the sauce is really tasty. 🙂
Kim says
If I make this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, how long should I cook it?
Samantha says
Hi,
I am a big fan of your recipes! I have two questions. I made a recipe similar to this once and it also included capers and grapes. Do you think that would work here? Also, if I am making it for a holiday dinner can it be made ahead of time?
Tori Avey says
Hi Samantha– the saltiness of the olives combined with capers would make the dish too salty. If adding capers, cut the olives down. Grapes would not really work here, I don’t think– hard to say without testing. You can make this ahead of time, but the dish has a crisp skin and making ahead will make the skin softer. No big deal, just won’t present as nicely.
samantha says
wondering if I could use capers instead of olives or omit that ingredient all together. or do you have another suitable substitution for a non olive fan?? otherwise looks delicious and perfect for the upcoming holiday.
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Samantha, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. You can omit the olives if you’d like. Capers would be a nice substitute, though I’d probably use less since their flavor is stronger than the ripe green olives.
Bob chamberlin says
Looks great, would a pinot. Noir work here?
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Bob, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We have not made this recipe with red wine, so unfortunately I cannot advise.
Bob Chamberlin says
Looks great…..,could I use lemons instead of limes?
I make a similar dish with lemons and saffron
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Bob, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. If you’d prefer to use lemons I say go for it!
Angela says
I ended up doing this with a whole chicken and cooked it in a slow cooker for 8 hours. It turned out absolutely amazing!
Bev Hoffman-Rush says
I have to make this. Looks good and sounds good. Tory you mentioned fish, I have to ask, we used to have smoked white fish when we were kids. It was delicious, but I have no idea what kind it was. Can you help me to figure it out?
Tori Avey says
The term “whitefish” refers to several species of freshwater fish that are commonly used in Ashkenazi Jewish cooking. More on that in this post: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2011/02/whitefish-salad/
Barry says
Thought I followed all the directions, but wound up with nothing but burnt drippings stuck to the bottom of the dish. Should I have been basting with broth?
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Barry, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. I’m sorry that this dish didn’t work out for you. I’m not sure what went wrong as we’ve never had this issue. The dish should be covered for the first hour of cook time and then uncovered and cooked for an additional 15-30 minutes, basting periodically. If you decide to give it another go I would suggest adding a bit more broth if you find that it has evaporated after the first hour of cook time.
Jean says
made this with chicken breasts that were already cooked. made the olive marinade and baked it for the hour. made sauce with chicken broth, cornstarch and olive mixture from the breasts. had all over brown rice. So Tasty and Delicious! Will try it again marinating overnite. My husband gave it a four also.
Anna says
I made this recipe last night and it was excellent! Definitely including this in my cooking repertoire. Thank you.
KalynsKitchen says
Love the new photos! Not sure why I didn’t see this sooner, but thanks for featuring my Chicken Souvlaki!
Tori Avey says
My pleasure Kalyn!
Devorah says
Quick question, I have guests that don’t drink alcohol, what can I substitute for the wine. Many thanks
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Devorah, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. You can try substituting chicken stock for the wine, though you may need a little extra cornstarch since alcohol cooks off faster than stock. Try as written first, then add additional cornstarch slurry as needed to thicken further.
Beryl says
Thank you for the recipe.
It was relatively easy to make. My family loved it.
Joe zeitune says
Dear Tori, I just tried this recipe and it is just
Superb, I couldn’t resist and I earmark it right away as our next Rosh Hashana dinner. By the way I tried already several of your recipes and they are all succulent. Keep the good work Tori and May Hashem bless you.
Anne says
Thank you! its a great recipes for winter, my family love it! tkx for sharing again.
Tina says
Hi Tori,
I found this recipe on Pinterest and want to make for company
Can I sear the chicken on top of the stove to brown…I have an electric oven:(
Tina
PS I think you are terrific
Tori Avey says
Hi Tina 🙂 searing the chicken pieces might be difficult because the marinade has olive pieces, which will likely burn in a pan sear. But rest assured, the chicken will be great even without that final broiling step – it will get a little brown in the hot oven. The broil just browns it further. It will taste great with or without the broil, and you can remove the foil a bit earlier for even more browning in the oven. Enjoy!
Noelani says
This recipie is AMAZING! My husband said it was the best chicken he’s ever had and he doesn’t praise much.
On another note I loved your intro story, I had the SAME EXACT saying I teased my parents with as a child only mine was “chicken and rice, chicken and rice, all we ever have is chicken and rice”. I am now so thankful I was raised on healthy homemade economical food!
Sonja says
Really good and easy. I prepared it the night before using simply 4 chicken legs, my husband put it in the oven the next day when I was out. I got home and food was almost ready. I struggle a bit with the olive sauce ‘cos to take out the fat actually meant to drain it but when I added the wine and 2 tbsp of water it looked fine. I served it with mashed potatoes and roasted garlicky beans. Next day I just put the two legs already with the olives in the oven to heat it up and came out great too.
Debbie says
This was a huge hit at this year’s seder–thanks, Tori!