Lemon Olive Chicken
Lemon Olive Chicken is a luscious combination of lemon, ripe green olives, garlic, and oregano in a flavorful Mediterranean sauce for a delicious chicken main dish.
This Lemon Olive Chicken contains lots of flavorful Mediterranean ingredients – ripe green olives, lemon, garlic, oregano – that are all roasted along with the browned chicken to create a bright, tangy sauce.
Then the finished chicken and sauce are topped with crumbled feta cheese. I served this with steamed fresh green beans on the side. It’s also great over orzo.
The weather is starting to warm up here, and pretty soon, it will be just too hot to have the oven on for a long time. But before that happens, I’m doing lots of roasting and baking.
Roasted main dishes are usually so easy – brown up some meat, add ingredients, and pop the whole thing in the oven to slowly cook while you do something else.
How to Make Lemon Olive Chicken
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Zest and juice two of the lemons. Cut the third into wedges.
Peel the shallots; cut lengthwise once then crosswise into half moons. Peel and mince the garlic. Set all aside for now.
Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the oil to a large, ovenproof frying pan and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned chicken. Brown well on all sides, turning several times. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate.
To the pan, add the shallots and cook until softened. Add the parsley, garlic, and oregano and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the lemon juice, zest, wine, and olives.
Return the chicken to the pan.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover the pan, and place it in the oven (if your pan doesn’t have a lid, use a double thickness of foil). Cook for 45-50 minutes or until chicken is very tender.
Remove the lid or foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the juices are slightly reduced.
Serve the chicken topped with the pan sauce, feta cheese, and lemon wedges.
👉 PRO TIP: You’ll use green ripe olives for this recipe. Not the pimiento-stuffed green olives packed in brine. Lindsay markets “California Green Ripe” olives packed in water and sea salt which is what I used. If you can’t find green ripe olives, you can use large black olives.
Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Recipe
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Lemon Olive Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 large lemons
- 3 shallots
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 chicken leg quarters
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup green olives see note
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Zest and juice two of the lemons. Cut the third into wedges. Peel the shallots; cut lengthwise once then crosswise into half moons. Peel and mince the garlic. Set all aside for now.
- Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the oil to a large, ovenproof frying pan and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the seasoned chicken. Brown well on all sides, turning several times. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate.
- To the pan, add the shallots and cook until softened. Add the parsley, garlic, and oregano and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the lemon juice, zest, wine, and olives. Return the chicken to the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover the pan and place it in the oven (if your pan doesn’t have a lid, use a double thickness of foil). Cook for 45-50 minutes or until chicken is very tender. Remove the lid or foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the juices are slightly reduced.
- Serve the chicken topped with the pan sauce, feta cheese, and lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I prepared this chicken dish for our wedding anniversary last evening. Big hit. I was impressed with the flavors from the sauce.
My wife really enjoyed it as well. Her comment was that we would not have gotten a better meal from a fine restaurant. A definite do again!
Thank you, again
You have no idea how happy your comment makes me! I’m so glad you both enjoyed the recipe.
This is the most delicious chicken I’ve ever tasted! The dish is juicy, tender, soft and incredibly tasty!
I highly recommend cooking chicken according to this recipe, you will be delighted!
I’m so glad you liked it!
This looks and sounds delicious Lana! I love lemon on/in chicken, amazing flavor. And thanks so much for the link love! :)
I make a really similar dish (I even use Lindsay olives in it!) and it’s fabulous. I bet your version is delicious, too.
Delicious! The recipe was easy to follow, just a few ingredients, and so flavorful. It’s a keeper!
Olives provide such a fabulous depth of flavor to so many dishes! Your lemon chicken sounds like a winner!! Have a terrific weekend, Lana.
Thanks and a fabulous weekend to you, too, Liz.
Mouth watering!!! This sounds and looks delicious! I eat capers by the spoonful and would normally put them in a dish like this- love the addition of the olives!
That’s a thought, Colleen – a spoonful of capers wouldn’t be bad at all in this recipe! I just might add them next time.
I’ll have to look for some of the California Green Ripe! I don’t know if I’ve seen them around here.
Do seek them out, Angie. I think you’ll really like them!
I just love your new format! You are so talented.
I wish I liked olives. I never acquired the taste. But, all of the other flavors are just calling my name. Really!
Happy Monday.
Miss P
Thanks! It was past time for an update and I wanted something cleaner and brighter but still “me.”
I’m licking my lips just reading your post! This sounds delicious – love the briny, lemony flavors!
Love the Mediterranean angle with green olives, lemon, garlic, oregano . Sounds wonderful!
Thanks Ginny! We really enjoy this recipe. It’s economical, too, with the inexpensive chicken leg quarters.
I love olives and lemon with chicken. This, a loaf a bread, a bottle of white wine…that sounds amazing.
Oh yeah, a good loaf to soak up that pan sauce…yum!
this looks amazing….all those olives!
Yes, the olives really make this recipe!
Yum – thank you for the nice recipe.
You’re welcome, Liz! Thank you for visiting the blog :-)