Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken

4.84 from 25 votes
45 minutes
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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!”

Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken in white enamel cast iron skillet garnished with fresh thyme and lemon wedges.

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!
Two of the chicken breasts in Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken.

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) along with how to prep. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.

Photo of ingredients for Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken

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.
Four boneless skinless chicken breasts on a white cutting board seasoned with salt and 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.
Four boneless skinless chicken breasts in white enamel skillet.
  • Place the diced shallot in the pan and cook until it softens up.
  • Add the garlic and cook briefly.
Browned cooked shallots in white enamel cast iron skillet.
  • Add the wine to deglaze the pan and bring to a boil. Let that cook a bit until it reduces slightly.
Shallot and wine in white enamel cast iron skillet.
  • 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.
Ingredients being cooked in white enamel skillet before chicken is added back in.
  • 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.
Photo of Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken before garnish is added.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges. The lemon adds a lovely pop of flavor!
Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken on light blue background with blue towel garnished with lemon wedges and thyme.

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.
Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken in white enamel skillet on blue napkin.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I use chicken thighs in place of chicken breasts?

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.

What can I use instead of wine?

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.

Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken in white enamel skillet garnished with lemon wedges and fresh thyme.

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Photo of Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken in white enamel cast iron skillet garnished with fresh thyme and lemon wedges.

Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken

4.84 from 25 votes

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By: Carol | From A Chef’s Kitchen
Easy Skillet Mediterranean Chicken has all the light, flavor-packed ingredients found in the sunny region of the Mediterranean. It makes a great healthy dinner any night of the week yet it's dressy enough for weekend entertaining!
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Chicken and Turkey
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 4
Calories 327 kcal

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.

Recipe Notes

SUBSTITUTIONS:
  • 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.
TIP:
  • When searing chicken breasts or other proteins, always start with the top side (or presentation side) first for the best-looking sear.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 731mg | Potassium: 766mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1469IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg

These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

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4.84 from 25 votes (22 ratings without comment)

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12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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!

    1. 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!

  2. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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

      1. Hi, Kelly, Thanks so much and hope you enjoy! Chicken broth and lemon juice is a great substitute for wine. Thanks again!