One Pan Greek (or Italian) Chicken
A quick and easy skillet meal that relies on pantry staples, this flexible recipe is a gift on busy evenings and 100% worthy of company.
Ingredients
- 1-1¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or bite-size pieces
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (I use a lightly rounded cup)
- 1 (14-ounce) can small artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and halved (or quartered if you have a larger size)
- ¼ cup quartered pitted Kalamata olives
- 1/3 cup Greek or Italian vinaigrette (homemade or store-bought*)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or 1/8 teaspoon for flavor but no heat)
- ¼ -⅓ cup (2-2½ ounces) crumbled Feta Cheese
- Optional for serving: a sprinkle of fresh parsley; chopped avocado; hot cooked rice or orzo (or another grain or pasta of choice)
Instructions
- Sauté the chicken pieces in large skillet (10- to 12-inch works well) sprayed with cooking spray (or coated lightly with olive oil) over medium heat until just cooked through, about 6-7 minutes depending on how thickly the chicken is cut. Remove to a plate.
- Add the tomatoes, artichokes, olives, dressing and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and then cook, stirring regularly, just long enough for the tomatoes to soften to your liking. (This is about 3-4 minutes for me.) Stir in the chicken and any accumulated juices, and cook just long enough to warm the chicken, another minute or so.
- Remove from the heat, top with cheese and enjoy with options of choice.
Notes
*When using a purchased vinaigrette, we enjoy Gazebo Room’s Greek dressing and marinade. It is the dressing on which I modeled my homemade Greek dressing recipe. For best flavor when using store-bought, simply choose a quality brand that you enjoy.
Flavor boost: When serving with rice, orzo or another grain or pasta of choice, stir a few tablespoons of the dressing into the hot cooked grain or pasta.
Variations:
•You could substitute chicken thighs. Dark meat will simply require a few extra minutes to fully cook.
•I think sliced flank steak (or a similar cut of quick-cooking beef) would be especially good with the Greek version.
•Canned artichokes are packed in water, and for best flavor, I like to rinse them. If you have jarred artichokes that are packed in oil, you may absolutely use them. Simply drain well and perhaps start with a tablespoon or so less of the dressing.
•The olives and feta are excellent flavor boosters in this recipe but can certainly be omitted if you aren’t a fan – or serve them on the side if some enjoy and some do not. Similarly, green olives could be used if that’s what you have on hand. When opting for Italian dressing, blue cheese or even a shredded Italian blend would provide worthy feta alternatives for those who prefer.
•Garlic lovers could add 2 minced cloves along with the vinaigrette. Onion lovers could sauté half a medium onion (yellow or red) along with the chicken.
•When available, you could add a light sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, marjoram, chives, etc.
•You could substitute chicken thighs. Dark meat will simply require a few extra minutes to fully cook.
•I think sliced flank steak (or a similar cut of quick-cooking beef) would be especially good with the Greek version.
•Canned artichokes are packed in water, and for best flavor, I like to rinse them. If you have jarred artichokes that are packed in oil, you may absolutely use them. Simply drain well and perhaps start with a tablespoon or so less of the dressing.
•The olives and feta are excellent flavor boosters in this recipe but can certainly be omitted if you aren’t a fan – or serve them on the side if some enjoy and some do not. Similarly, green olives could be used if that’s what you have on hand. When opting for Italian dressing, blue cheese or even a shredded Italian blend would provide worthy feta alternatives for those who prefer.
•Garlic lovers could add 2 minced cloves along with the vinaigrette. Onion lovers could sauté half a medium onion (yellow or red) along with the chicken.
•When available, you could add a light sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, marjoram, chives, etc.
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