Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken
Updated May 13, 2021, Published May 04, 2021
Jump to RecipeThis Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read My Disclosure
This winner of a chicken dinner has all the light, flavor-packed ingredients found in the sunny region of the Mediterranean. Ready in under an hour, this Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken recipe makes a great healthy dinner any night of the week yet it’s dressy enough for weekend entertaining!
“My husband and I LOVE this recipe. So much flavor and is very easy to put together quickly. Add a side of rice and done!”
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken is everything and you’ll want to put it in your regular rotation!
- It’s an easy, healthy, delicious weeknight dinner also perfect for weekend entertaining!
- It cooks up in one pan!
- You may already have many of the ingredients on hand!
- Even though many of the ingredients come from your pantry, this dish is jam-packed with fresh flavor that tastes like a quick culinary escape to the Mediterranean!
What is Considered a Chicken Breast?
The breast of a chicken is the underside of the chicken when it’s up and walking around. When a recipe calls for a chicken breast, it most likely means one-half or one side of the breast. A whole breast is considered two halves of a breast.
This easy Mediterranean chicken recipe calls for four chicken breast halves.
How to Make Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this recipe (besides the chicken). See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Olive Oil: A general-use extra-virgin olive oil meant for everyday cooking is fine here.
- Tomatoes: Use cherry or grape tomatoes.
- Shallots: Shallots are related to onions and garlic. Their flavor is a bit milder and sweeter than their relatives and turn even sweeter with cooking.
- Dry White Wine: If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t use it.
- Kalamata Olives: Buy pitted Kalamata olives for ease, but cut in half to make sure there’s not a hidden pit which automatic pitters can sometimes miss.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Crushed red pepper flakes add a nice touch of heat. If you’re averse to spice, leave it out.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Clean and trim the chicken breasts.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken well on both sides until it’s cooked through to 165 degrees in the center.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent to keep warm.
- Place the diced shallot in the pan and cook until it softens up.
- Add the garlic and cook briefly.
- Add the wine to deglaze the pan and bring to a boil. Let that cook a bit until it reduces slightly.
- Keep the heat on high and add the tomatoes. Cook 1 minute or until they blister, pop and release some of their juices.
- Add the artichoke hearts, marinade, olives, roasted red pepper, thyme, parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until all the ingredients are heated through.
- Add the chicken breasts back to the pan.
- Simmer briefly, spooning the pan juices over the chicken to bring it back up to the pan and safe temperature of 165 degrees in the center.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges. The lemon adds a lovely pop of flavor!
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- Stock up on chicken when it’s on sale, get them trimmed up then place them in zipper-top bags and freeze. Place two in a quart-size bag and four to six in a gallon-size bag and freeze flat. Freezing them flat saves storage space in your freezer and they’ll thaw much faster.
- THAWING HACK: Need to speed up thawing? If you have an enameled cast iron skillet such as the one shown, flip the skillet over and place the bag of chicken on the skillet. The cold from the chicken transfers to the cast iron and the pan gets colder and colder cutting thawing time in half. If all you have is black cast iron, place a piece of plastic over the cast iron first to prevent rust. Here’s a photo and more information on how it works from Cuisine at Home.
recipe faqs:
Absolutely! Boneless skinless chicken thighs will take approximately the same amount of time as breasts. Just be sure they’re cooked to 165 degrees in the thickest part.
Bone-in chicken thighs will take longer so you’ll need to allow additional time. You can cook them on the stovetop in the pan until cooked through or brown them well and place them in the oven to finish cooking while making the rest of the dish.
Chicken broth can be substituted if you prefer not to use wine or don’t have any.
Wine is most often used to “deglaze” the pan in recipes. However, as you can see in the process photo above, cooking the shallot and garlic in the pan juices before adding wine will take much of that “fond” off. After cooking the shallot and garlic, add the chicken broth and proceed with the remainder of the recipe. You may wish to add a little extra lemon juice at the end.
Serve with:
More easy, delicious chicken breast recipes!
- Crab Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Pesto and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken with Roma Tomatoes
- Chicken Scallopini with Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille
- Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
Get all my chicken recipes at Chicken Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen
Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, approximately 2 pounds
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, quartered -PLUS- 1/4 cup of the marinade
- 1/2 cup pitted and halved Kalamata olives
- 1 roasted red bell pepper, from a jar, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Place the chicken breasts in the hot oil and cook until nicely browned on the first side, approximately 4-5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook another 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees in the thickest part. Transfer to a plate and tent to keep warm.
- Add the shallot and cook for 1-2 minutes or until it begins to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook briefly, or until fragrant.
- Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and cook 1 minute or until they blister, pop and release some of their juices.
- Add the artichoke hearts, marinade, olives, roasted red pepper, thyme, parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until all the ingredients are heated through.
- Transfer the chicken back to the skillet. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken and cook 1-2 minutes or until the chicken is heated back through to the pan temperature.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- If you prefer not to use wine or don’t have any, chicken broth can be substituted. You may wish to add a little extra lemon juice at the end.
- Can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- When searing chicken breasts or other proteins, always start with the top side (or presentation side) first for the best-looking sear.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
What an easy one pot wonder that does NOT skimp on flavor! I love the combo of all the different veggies and that hit of lemon at the end. Sometimes simple really is best!
Hi, Jamie, Thanks so much and so happy you love this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Thanks again!!
When do we incorporate fresh herbs, in the beginning as we sauté the chicken?
Thank you for this!
Hi, Kathleen, Thanks so much for your question. In step #7: Add the remaining ingredients (except the lemon wedges) and cook until all the ingredients are heated through. This would include the fresh herbs. I’ll revise the recipe to make it clearer. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!
Is this okay for someone who is a diabetic?
Hi, Char, Thanks so much for your question. I’ve cooked for diabetics and except for the wine, I don’t see anything that would suggest it is not okay for a diabetic. For the wine, you could substitute chicken broth with a little lemon juice added. Thanks again and hope this works for you!
Wonderful, easy but elegant dish! Lemon brings out all the diverse flavors.
Brian
Hi, Brian, Thanks so very much and so happy you enjoyed!!
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Will definitely make this again. After combining the chicken back with the veg, I covered it and put it in a 350 oven for 25 minutes. The chicken was fork tender and really absorbed all the fabulous flavors. Thank you!
Hi, Laura, Thanks so very much and glad you enjoyed!
I am totally making this right now for dinner, using chicken broth and lemon juice instead of wine and will put in oven on warm until hubby gets home for dinner
Hi, Kelly, Thanks so much and hope you enjoy! Chicken broth and lemon juice is a great substitute for wine. Thanks again!