Delicious One Pan Mediterranean Chicken is an easy-to-make, high-protein low-carb meal everyone will enjoy! Pair it with potatoes, quinoa, rice or pasta, and veggies for a dinner you’ll want to make on repeat.
This Mediterranean Chicken recipe is made with seasoned chicken thighs, red onion, zucchini, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and capers nestled in a savory lemon sauce. It’s simple to make with very little hands-on time and easy clean-up. The perfect healthy chicken dinner for the entire family to enjoy with your favorite side dish.
Why you should make this recipe
- So delicious: Pan-seared chicken thighs are combined with sautéed veggies in a bright, flavorful sauce. This dish is warm, and comforting, and will be your new favorite way to enjoy chicken.
- Easy weeknight dinner: This chicken skillet recipe is really easy to put together. Besides chopping the veggies, there’s minimal prep needed. Then, everything cooks in one pan, making cleanup a breeze.
- Versatile: Serve as-is for a simple low-carb, protein-packed dinner. Or serve this with a starchy side dish to soak up all the tasty sauce.
Ingredients needed
This Mediterranean chicken recipe uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen. Here’s the lineup:
- Chicken: For maximum flavor, we’re using 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds).
- Vegetables: This skillet is packed with veggie goodness! Sautéed red onion, zucchini, olives and tomatoes make this meal hearty and satisfying.
- Sauce: Dry white wine and vegetable broth make up the base of the sauce. Garlic, lemon juice, oregano, capers, honey, parsley, salt, pepper and paprika are added in for extra flavor.
- Fresh parsley: Fresh herbs, like parsley, add a pop of freshness and color. Don’t have parsley? Feel free to swap with cilantro or dill. It will change the flavor, but still be super delicious!
Variations
You can easily customize this dish and make it your own! Here’s some options:
- Chicken: Instead of chicken thighs, you can use boneless skinless chicken breast. Just reduce the cooking time to 15-20 minutes, being careful not to overcook it.
- Broth: You can substitute vegetable broth with chicken broth if that’s what you have in your kitchen!
- Garlic: I use 6 garlic cloves as a good middle-ground amount but feel free to use more (10-12 cloves or less (3-4 cloves) depending on your garlic preference. I’d always use more, personally!
- Red onion: Feel free to use 3 medium shallots instead, if you prefer!
- Zucchini: Instead of just zucchini, a combination of zucchini and peppers would be delicious, or use part asparagus or another veggie that you love!
How to make this recipe
- Prep & sear chicken: Season the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Add olive oil to a large-wide skillet (or 3.3 Qt Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add chicken to the pan, skin-side facing down, and cook for about 7 minutes until the skin is golden and slightly crisped. Flip the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Sauté red onion & zucchini: To the now-empty skillet, add red onion and zucchini. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until slightly tender.
- Simmer remaining ingredients & sauce: Add the olives, tomatoes, garlic, wine, broth, lemon juice, oregano, capers, honey, half of the parsley, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon paprika. Simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Use your spoon to scrape off any browned bits at the bottom of the pan and mix them into the sauce.
- Cook chicken in sauce: Return chicken to the pan, cover, and simmer for 23-25 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through (registering at least 165°F on an instant-read thermometer).
- Continue to simmer sauce: Uncover the pan, remove the chicken from the pan, and simmer the sauce for an additional 10 minutes to help reduce and slightly thicken it. Return the chicken back to the pan.
- Serve & enjoy: Garnish with remaining parsley and lemon slices before serving.
Expert tips
- So that the chicken cooks evenly and at the same rate, we recommend using chicken thighs that are of a similar size.
- When searing the chicken, be sure to give it plenty of space in the pan. You want it to brown nicely and not steam.
- We love this served with sliced lemon as garnish! I like to slice lemon wedges and grill them on a cast iron griddle for 2 minutes per side to give them a beautiful char.
- This recipe is tested with Diamond Crystals Kosher salt. If using sea salt, reduce the amount to 1 ½ teaspoons total since sea salt is more potent. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon and add ½ tsp to the sauce mixture.
- If one doesn’t have ⅛ teaspoon for pepper in the sauce, that is just a small pinch.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mediterranean chicken made of?
This particular recipe for Mediterranean chicken includes chicken thighs, red onion, zucchini, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and capers cooked in a white wine lemon broth. It’s a healthy meal that’s easy to make.
How long does it take for chicken to cook in pan?
Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs should take 8 – 10 minutes in a frying pan over medium heat. This can vary depending on the thickness of the chicken and the temperature of the stove. To ensure chicken is done cooking, use a meat thermometer to check for doneness; the temperature should read 165 degrees F.
Serving suggestion
This Mediterranean chicken recipe pairs well with many different sides. It makes an extra delicious liquidy sauce, so you can spoon it over rice or quinoa! It’s also great with mashed potatoes or pasta.
For a lower-carb option, pair it with cauliflower rice, cauliflower mashed potatoes or any green veggies. Try our roasted green beans, crispy air fryer broccoli, or asparagus. A side salad would be perfect too! You could toss together a simple salad with kale, romaine lettuce, or a spring mix and a simple dressing of olive oil and fresh lemon juice or homemade lemon thyme dressing.
Storage recommendation
This is a great dinner to meal prep, as it keeps well for several days. Simply, let it cool and then add any leftovers to an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to about 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
More easy chicken recipes
One Pan Mediterranean Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, 3 pounds*, fat trimmed and patted dry with paper towel
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika, divided
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large red onion, peeled, quartered, and sliced into ½” pieces
- 2 medium zucchinis, sliced into ½” semi-circles
- ¼ cup kalamata olives pitted and roughly chopped
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 12 ounces
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
Instructions
- Season the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Add olive oil to a large-wide skillet (or 3.3 Qt Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add chicken to the pan, skin-side facing down, and cook for about 7 minutes until the skin is golden and slightly crisped. Flip the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside on a plate.
- To the now-empty skillet, add red onion and zucchini. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until slightly tender.
- Add the olives, tomatoes, garlic, wine, broth, lemon juice, oregano, capers, honey, half of the parsley, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon paprika. Simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Use your spoon to scrape off any browned bits at the bottom of the pan and mix them into the sauce.
- Return chicken to the pan, cover, and simmer for 23-25 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through (registering at least 165°F on an instant-read thermometer).
- Uncover the pan, remove the chicken from the pan, and simmer the sauce for an additional 10 minutes to help reduce and slightly thicken it. Return the chicken back to the pan.
- Garnish with remaining parsley and lemon slices before serving.
Equipment
Notes
- Serve with sliced lemon as garnish! I like to slice lemon wedges and grill them on a cast iron griddle for 2 minutes per side to give them a beautiful char.
- This recipe makes extra delicious liquidy sauce, so you can spoon it over rice or quinoa!
- You can use boneless skinless chicken breast as well. Just reduce the cooking time to 15-20 minutes, being careful not to overcook it.
- You can substitute vegetable broth with chicken broth if that’s what you have in your kitchen!
- I use 6 garlic cloves as a good middle-ground amount but feel free to use more (10-12 cloves or less (3-4 cloves) depending on your garlic preference. I’d always use more, personally!
- Don’t have parsley? Feel free to swap with cilantro or dill. It will change the flavor, but still be super delicious!
- This recipe is tested with Diamond Crystals Kosher salt. If using sea salt, reduce the amount to 1 ½ teaspoons total since sea salt is more potent. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon and add ½ tsp to the sauce mixture.
- Red onion: Feel free to use 3 medium shallots instead if you prefer!
- Zucchini: Feel free to use a combination of zucchini and peppers, or use part asparagus or another veggie that you love!
- If one doesn’t have ⅛ teaspoon, that is just a small pinch.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Any recommendations for making ahead of time for potluck?
Such a favorite recipe of mine!! I can’t wait to make it again!