This is an absolutely delicious chicken thighs recipe making prominent use of black olives, garlic, and lemon juice.
The blend of those three ingredients, along with the subtle touch of thyme, make for an excellent meal that looks very fancy and sophisticated but that's easy to prepare and doesn't require any fancy ingredients. Everything is prepared in a single pan, which makes it extra easy to clean up afterward.
The added sliced lemons give an even more lemony taste and offer visual sophistication.
This chicken recipe shares a lot of similarities with French Provençal cuisine. Provence is located in the Southeast of France, and their cuisine is known worldwide, especially for the extensive use of olive oil, garlic, olives, sardines, and anchovies.
In other words, it is part of typical Mediterranean cuisine. They have a multitude of traditional fish, lamb, and goat dishes. Thyme, which is called for in this recipe, is part of the herbs that we call herbes de Provence and also usually includes savory, fennel, and basil.
Make sure to choose quality black olives that are packaged either in olive oil or brine, containing only salt and water. Italian specialty food stores usually offer a great variety to choose from. Kalamata olives, originating from Kalamata in Greece, are a delicious and popular choice.
We hope you'll enjoy making this recipe that will be ready in under an hour and that will fill your mouth with some of the most amazing flavors of Mediterranean cuisine.
Olive, garlic & lemon chicken recipe
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter (or ghee), tallow, coconut oil, or poultry fat;
- ½ lb Kalamata olives, pitted, cut in half;
- 8 chicken thighs with bones and skin;
- 3 cups onions, sliced thin;
- 3 gloves garlic, minced and smashed almost to a paste;
- ½ cup lemon juice;
- 2 extra lemons, thickly sliced (remove seeds with the tip of a knife);
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock;
- A bunch of picked thyme leaves (about 1 tsp);
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Melt the first ¼ cup of fat in a large and hot pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. It will take about 6 minutes in total. Set the chicken aside.
- Cook the onions until soft, about 3 minutes, and make sure to scrape all the delicious chicken bits off the pan while doing so.
- Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, until fragrant. You can season with salt and pepper at this point.
- Add the chicken stock, thyme, and lemon juice, and return the chicken thighs to the pan, skin side up.
- Bring to a simmer and put the pan, covered, in the hot oven for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, add the halved olives as well as the lemon slices and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes uncovered.
- Serve the chicken with olive, garlic, and lemon sauce, as well as with some lemon slices.
📖 Recipe
Olive garlic & lemon chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter or ghee, tallow, coconut oil, or poultry fat
- ½ lb Kalamata olives pitted, cut in half
- 8 chicken thighs with bones and skin
- 3 cups onions sliced thin
- 3 gloves garlic minced and smashed almost to a paste
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 extra lemons thickly sliced (remove seeds with the tip of a knife)
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- A bunch of picked thyme leaves about 1 tsp
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Melt the first ¼ cup of fat in a large and hot pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. It will take about 6 minutes in total. Set the chicken aside.8 chicken thighs with bones and skin
- Cook the onions until soft, about 3 minutes, and make sure to scrape all the delicious chicken bits off the pan while doing so.3 cups onions
- Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, until fragrant. You can season with salt and pepper at this point.3 gloves garlic, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Add the chicken stock, thyme, and lemon juice, and return the chicken thighs to the pan, skin side up.½ cup lemon juice, 1 ½ cups chicken stock, A bunch of picked thyme leaves, 8 chicken thighs with bones and skin
- Bring to a simmer and put the pan, covered, in the hot oven for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, add the halved olives as well as the lemon slices and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes uncovered.½ lb Kalamata olives
- Serve the chicken with olive, garlic, and lemon sauce, as well as with some lemon slices.¼ cup butter, 3 gloves garlic, 2 extra lemons, ½ cup lemon juice
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