Chicken Mediterranean - An Easy One-Dish Meal to Stimulate Your Tastebuds
If you are looking for a dinner that is an easy one-bake meal that pleases the taste buds, this is a great recipe for you. It offers up some vibrant flavors that I find a welcome change from time-to-time. Like many Mediterranean main dishes, it’s a fairly healthy meal full of fresh ingredients.
Makes: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 30-40 minutes
Suggested Tools:
· Casserole dish (2 quart or 12x8 inches)
· Large skillet
· Cutting board
· Small bowl or ramakin
· Medium bowl
· Plate, dinner plate size
· Stir spoon
· Measuring cups
· Measuring spoons
· Large sharp knife
· Paring knife
· Meat thermometer
· Aluminum foil
Ingredients:
Chicken & Vegetables –
· 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
Note: The two chicken breasts I purchased were huge; so I split each in half to make four servings. They were originally about an inch thick which was way too much for each person. Therefore, you might want to consider the thickness of your chicken as the thickness also affects the baking time.
· 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
· 1 – 12-ounce canned green beans, drained
· 1 ½ cups marinated artichoke hearts, quartered (drained)
· ¾ cup roasted red peppers, sliced thinly (drained)
· 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, drained – sliced thinly
· 1/4 cup pitted sliced olives (I used black but you can use olives of your choice)
Optional Individual Topping - Crumbled feta cheese
Wet Marinade Rub –
· 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
· 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
· 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
· 6 peeled garlic cloves, minced
· 2 teaspoons honey (or same amount granulated sugar)
. 1 tablespoon capers, drained
Spices -
· 1 teaspoon each onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil, ground cumin, salt,
· ½ teaspoon each pepper, paprika
Instructions:
1. Add to the skillet 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil and heat on medium heat.
2. Once the oil is hot, sear the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side until the chicken is lightly golden brown and remove to a plate.
3. Add the spices in a small bowl or ramakin and mix to combine well.
4. In a separate medium bowl, add the olive oil, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, honey and capers and mix well. Add the spice mixture and combine well.
5. Pour the marinade into the casserole dish. Then take each chicken breast and dredge it into the marinade on both sides. Note: There will not be a lot of marinade liquid but there should be a nice coating on each chicken piece.
6. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least one hour or more in the refrigerator.
7. When you are ready to bake the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator about thirty minutes prior to the time they will be baked.
8. When you are ready to bake, remove the chicken from the casserole and set aside temporarily on a dish.
9. Add the vegetables into the same casserole dish and mix gently to distribute well. Now return the chicken on top of the vegetables in the casserole dish.
10. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 400-degree preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the chicken reads 160-165 degrees. You can take it out at 160 degrees as the chicken will continue to cook. Allow to rest for five minutes prior to plating or serving.
Optional – Sprinkle serving or individual plates with crumbled feta cheese
Recommend serving over rice of your choice, but I prefer plain rice to allow the marinade and other flavors to enhance the rice.
The Crooked Ladle
Savor the taste