Lemon Olive Chicken with Shallots & Capers
Chicken marinated with lemons, garlic, oregano, and olive oil, then baked with shallots, capers, thyme, parsley, and green olives. It is hard to describe how delicious this is! You feel like you’re just eating your way through an open-air Mediterranean market!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (if you prefer bone-in breasts or thighs, they are perfectly fine, but just adjust the baking time to reach 165 F on a meat thermometer.)
- 1 cup pitted green olives (preferably Mt. Athos, Castelvetrano or, your favorite green olive)
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- 2 whole lemons, thinly sliced
- 2 large shallots peeled and cut into eighths, lengthwise
- 1-2 tbsp. capers, drained
- 1 cup chicken broth
Marinade
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 tsp. Lemon Pepper Paradise or your favorite lemon pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp. dried)
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp. dried)
Garnishes
- 1 lemon sliced or quartered
- 4 parsley sprigs
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients. Place chicken breasts, with lemon slices and shallots in an airtight container and pour marinade over.Cover tightly and give it a shake to make sure all ingredients are covered with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or all day.
- When ready to cook, preheat the grill to high heat. Remove chicken breasts from the marinade and sear directly on the grill just to get some nice browned color. This should take just a minute or two per side.
- Arrange seared chicken, lemons, olives, shallots, and capers in an aluminum grilling pan. Pour chicken broth over everything. Turn off the center burner and turn the two outside burners to medium heat.
- Continue to cook indirectly for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 165℉. Remove from grill and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve over a bed of black rice and garnish each plate with a lemon slice or wedge and a sprig each of parsley and thyme.
Notes
Note that you can also bake this dish in the oven. Simply brown the chicken breasts first in a cast iron skillet. Then add all the remaining ingredients and bake at 350 F until the chicken is cooked through.