If you're looking for chicken recipes for dinner, try this one. The flavors are fantastic. Last night I grabbed chicken thighs at the store with no idea what I was going to do with them and here is what came out: Mediterranean chicken thighs. Sunny Mediterranean flavors of tomatoes, thyme, olives and veggies. The sauce is so good served alone or over pasta. A new recipe for your chicken dinner collection made in one pan.
Quick recipes have been my saving grace through remodeling. You can get these done in about 30 minutes or make them on a Sunday and heat during the week. They will hold 4 days well-covered in the refrigerator. Any leftovers make a great lunch, so don't worry about cooking extra.
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Embrace the Dark Side: Chicken Thighs
Bone-in chicken thighs have become a regular item on my menu. I've always been a white meat kind of girl, but dark meat chicken thighs are less expensive and the meat is richer. Thighs are also a nice change from chicken breast. If you don't like thighs, buy bone-in chicken breasts and cut them in half crosswise.
Ingredients
Chicken thighs vary in size from large to small so you will need to make a judgement call when it comes to how much to cook. Buying 2 pounds yields 3 meals for us, which could be be 4-6 pieces. You might have to eye it at the store and buy pieces versus pounds. My husband eats 3 and for me 2 will do if small. It depends on your family and their appetites. For your grocery list:
Cooking and Serving Tips
Trim any excess fat and skin and then season. Brown skin side down until golden brown in a Dutch oven or other pot. Add the veggies, broth, cover and finish cooking in about 15-18 minutes. Serve them alone in a shallow bowl as there is lots of veggies and broth. Or you can serve with a little brown rice, pasta (brown rice pasta for gluten-free) or zucchini noodles for low carb. Cook until the thighs read 165°F with a digital kitchen thermometer.
📖 Recipe
Mediterranean Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds bone-in chicken thighs or 4 bone-in chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onion 1 small
- ¾ cup finely chopped celery 2 large ribs
- ¾ cup finely chopped carrots 2 large
- 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ cup white wine substitute chicken broth
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
- 16 pitted Kalamata olives
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
- 1-2 pinches saffron threads optional
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Trim chicken thighs of excess fat or skin. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Heat olive oil in a medium Dutch oven (5 ½ quart) or other heavy wide pan over medium low heat. When oil is hot (but not smoking), place seasoned chicken skin side down in a single layer in the pot. The chicken should sizzle when it hits the heat. Cook chicken until it is golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and keep warm. Turn the heat down to medium low. Drain off excess fat with a spoon but leave a little.
- To the pot add chopped onion, celery and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the wine (or sub broth) and cook until it is reduced by half. Add the broth, tomatoes, olives, thyme, saffron and bay leaf. Add the chicken back into the pot, nestling it into the vegetables. Cover the pot and cook until the chicken reaches 165°F, 15-18 minutes. Serve chicken thighs in 4 shallow bowls covered with the vegetables and juices.
Mary@SiftingFocus says
I have always been a fan of dark meat, always looking for recipes that use thighs since they are my favorite piece of the bird. Happy to have another healthy, quick and nutritious way to prepare them.
Sally Cameron says
Thanks Mary. I'll be doing more recipes with them!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
I have something very similar on my menu today, but I am going to try your recipe next. I usually only eat white meat, but I have to say when braised I am warming to dark. The price of saffron makes me cringe. 🙂 Good job!
Sally Cameron says
Thanks Madonna. I was that way too until recently. I really like the thighs now. They are a nice change, richer, nice in braises like this. I know on the saffron, but it's so nice. The other thing I am doing occasionally is duck breast. Loving that too. Not gamey or strong. I buy Mary's, which is white pekin duck, very mild. As I am not a beef eater, got to change it up!
Suzanne Hinze says
What if you don't like celery? Can you just omit it from the recipe or substitute with something else?
Sally Cameron says
Suzanne! You don't like celery? I can tease you because we are friends. Do you now like celery even when it is cooked, soft and with all of these other veggies and broth? If not, leave it out. Do you like fennel? Do that instead. Would be really good, and very Mediterranean. It has a soft sweet faintly licorice flavor.
Suzanne Hinze says
Can't wait to make the Mediterranean Chicken Thighs. I don't like celery, what can it be substituted for? Or just leave it out?