Lemon Olive Chicken

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5 from 1 vote

Inexpensive chicken leg quarters baked with lemon, olives, and garlic. Topped with feta cheese.

Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

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Lemon Olive Chicken – lemon, ripe green olives, garlic, and oregano combine in a flavorful Mediterranean sauce for this delicious chicken 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.

Note: 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.

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Lemon Olive Chicken

Inexpensive chicken leg quarters baked with lemon, olives, and garlic. Topped with feta cheese.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 615kcal

Author: Lana Stuart

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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

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.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1 | Calories: 615kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 855mg | Potassium: 571mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 676IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 179mg | Iron: 3mg

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 health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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