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Italian? Spanish? Greek? Can’t decide which to cook for dinner tonight? Cook them all in this Mediterranean chicken with olives, capers and peppers. It’s a maximum flavour-impact baked chicken breast dish that’s easy to put together and takes under an hour.
If olives and capers are a hard ‘no’ in your house, this streamlined Spanish baked chicken thighs traybake is the one for you. Paprika, lemon and rosemary make it just as flavour full on but with less brine and bonus potatoes.
I might live in the UK, but come June, my brain and kitchen are basically in the Med for the next 3 months! Lots of the UK’s fresh produce is grown in Spain, and the Mediterranean countries are the most popular holiday hotspots for sun-seeking Brits. So, the influence is almost unavoidable!
Here are the top 5 foodie things I’m most looking forward to this summer season:
- Outdoor grilling, check out my newsletter for my fave BBQ recipes.
- Fresh and fruity sundowners outside. I’m already mixing up the Spanish sangria…
- Plump and juicy tomatoes; heritage, heirlooms, plums, sugardrops… If you’ve not tried a Tuscan panzanella, your moment is just around the corner!
- Rhubarb is ripe right now! I’m celebrating a June birthday with this rose and rhubarb layer cake. (Rhubarb is not native to the Med but deserves a mention!)
- All the main-meal Med-inspired salads; Italian chopped, Greek-style orzo pasta, and tuna salad Nicoise from the south of France.
What’s on your summer Top 5 foodie list?
Mediterranean style chicken
This baked chicken breast recipe takes us on a mini tour of the Mediterranean region. First, stop in Spain for heady smoked paprika, garlic and peppers. Then cross the sea to Italy for salty capers and creamy pine nuts, and then end up on the Greek islands for dark and bitter kalamata olives. Are you coming?
If you’re already a fan of my Spanish chicken in bravas sauce recipe, you’ll love its tomato-free cousin, Mediterranean chicken.
While both recipes use some of the same ingredients; olives, peppers, paprika and garlic, the bravas dish is more saucy and sour, while the Mediterranean chicken with olives recipe is a burst of brine and wine. I’ll be making both in the next few months!
Important recipe tips and notes
- Ingredients from Spain, Italy and Greece are all represented.
- I’ve used large chicken breasts, if you use small or tend to cut them in half, reduce the oven time to 7-10 minutes.
- Feel free to add any fresh herbs you love! I’ve used flat leaf parsley but basil would work too.
What goes with it
Mediterranean chicken is not shy of flavour so sides can be fairly simple or just as bold! Whichever way you slice it, potatoes and a salad are my recommendations:
Potato sides
Parmesan crusted roast potatoes for a cheesy hit.
Hasselback potatoes with zesty gremolata sauce for extra garlic and herbs.
French fries with feta for a salty lean into Greece.
Salad sides
Summer tomato salad with herbs and a simple vinaigrette dressing.
Green garden salad for all your favourite fresh and crunchy salad vegetables.
Roasted summer vegetables with nuts and seeds and lashings of creamy tahini dressing.
Storage and leftovers
Mediterranean style chicken will keep in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat for Round 2 in the oven (10-15 mins at 200C/400F).
OR slice up the cold chicken breasts and fold the whole lot (olives and all) into a flatbread or wrap with fresh green leaves for a sun-drenched summer sandwich.
More chicken recipes to try
Mediterranean Style Chicken with Olives, Capers and Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp This is an affiliate link.smoked Spanish paprika
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 4 mini peppers, cut in half, or 1 red pepper sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 125ml / 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp capers
- 6-7 kalamata olives
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tbsp parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. While the oil is heating, season the chicken breasts with salt and smoked paprika on both sides, then sauté in the hot olive oil til golden on the outside but not cooked all the way through. Remove from the pan and lower the heat.
- To the sam pan add the sliced red onion and mine red and yellow peppers, cut in half and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the sliced garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine, then bring the chicken breasts back in and add the capers and olives and put in the preheated oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 74C/165F. In the last 5 minutes of the cooking time scatter the pine nuts all over.
- Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the chicken before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
