What’s for dinner tonight? Try this easy, Mediterranean baked chicken recipe. It’s super simple and a total crowd pleaser. There is a reason why it’s one of the most popular recipes on my blog! *Post updated with helpful tips in 2019.
This is my kind of food!
A simple tray-baked chicken dish packed with Mediterranean flavors.
I like to brown the chicken first and roast it alongside plump cherry tomatoes, red onions, and white beans. It comes out all sticky and caramelized.
I have 2 secrets: the first is to use marinated artichoke hearts and bocconcini (bite-size mozzarella balls). The garlicky/vinegary marinade adds incredible flavor to the dish without having to do a thing. The second trick is to toss in plenty of fresh herbs right before serving. Fresh basil and parsley will make your kitchen smell out of this world!
If you can marinate your chicken beforehand, this dish will taste even better. If you’re pressed for time, just skip it. It will still be very good.
Serve this with homemade bread and a nice green salad. Any leftovers are great mixed through with pasta.
*UPDATE- Since posting this Mediterranean baked chicken, I’ve come up with a couple of variations that you might enjoy:
Tips:
- Make sure to use a baking dish larger than 9x 13 inches. A large roasting pan is ideal. Overcrowding will cause the ingredients to steam rather than caramelize. Use 2 pans if necessary.
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This dish is one of the most popular recipes on the blog. It’s a one-pan meal that showcases both convenience and flavor. We love it in our house too.
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1x 14 oz. jar of marinated artichoke hearts, juice only
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 4 sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves stripped
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Bake
- 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, left whole
- reserved artichoke hearts
- 1x 14 oz. can white beans, drained & rinsed
- 1/4 c. roughly chopped Kalamata olives
- 1x 8 oz. tub marinated bocconcini (mini-mozzarella balls), drained
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Garnish
- 1/4 c. roughly chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp. basil leaves, cut into ribbons
Instructions
- Marinade: drain the artichokes hearts reserving the juice. To a large bowl, add 2 tbsp. of artichoke juice, garlic, and oregano leaves.
- Cut the chicken into thirds, about 1 1/2- inch strips. Add to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, maximum 3 hours.
- Bake: preheat your oven to 400 F.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sliced onions, and tomatoes to a large roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Roast on the center rack stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and the tomatoes begin to burst, about 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the chicken. In a large skillet warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over moderate heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on both sides, working in batches and transfer to a plate. The chicken will be slightly undercooked.
- Pat the artichokes dry with a paper towel. Cut into quarters.
- Remove the roasting pan from the oven; the onions should be soft and sticky. If not, bake for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chicken, artichoke hearts, beans, and olives to the pan (not the bocconcini- if you add the cheese too early it will melt all over the place). Roast for about 7-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- To serve, add the cheese and toss gently. The heat from the pan will soften the cheese.
- Top with parsley and basil leaves, and drizzle with extra artichoke juice if desired.
Notes
- Save extra artichoke juice to drizzle over the finished dish for flavor.
- You will need a roasting pan at least 13 1/2 x 11 inches or larger. Otherwise the ingredients will steam instead of caramelize. Use 2 pans if necessary.
- Swap mozzarella for crumbled feta.
- Use cannellini or Great Northern beans.
Keywords: mediterranean baked chicken, mediterranean chicken, chicken dinner, baked chicken
Rosaa says
I’ve made this recipe several times. It has become a family favorite. I sprinkle Sumac before serving. I like the extra Middle Eastern pop.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
I can’t even tell you how much I LOVE sumac. Great idea!
Alisha Ross says
I made this for dinner tonight. Yummy! And so easy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Emilie Raffa says
Your welcome! Glad you liked it :)
dale says
Hi,
I have made this and it’s delicious. Was thinking of making for Christmas day. Can I prepare and refrigerate the day before? If I marinate the chicken, is it in the artichoke juice that you would recommend? And lastly, If you say I can prep the day before and finish baking, would 4 or 5 hours be long enough to marinate whole pieces of chicken?
Thank you in advance!
Mandy Stephenson says
Made this last night and leftovers tonight. Wow…so, incredibly yummy!!
Emilie Raffa says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback, Mandy! xx
Barbara Hamilton says
This is AMAZING!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!
Emilie says
Hi Barbara! You are very welcome! ENJOY!
Rose Rodier says
This recipe is right us my ally. Will make it tonight. It has all the incredience my family love. Thank you so much. I am anxious to read you other receipes.
Gabrielle Nata says
This has been a favorite of mine for years! I was just placed on a strict diet though and was wondering if you had the nutritional facts for it. Thank you!
Gabrielle
Emilie says
Hi Gabrielle, thank you! Glad you are enjoying the recipe. It’s one of our favorites too. I don’t have the nutrition facts handy, but you can plug them into most online calculators. :)
Margarita says
What do you serve it with? Anyone? What have you tried and with what results?
Emilie says
Hi there!
You can serve it with toasted bread, rice, or roasted potatoes. Sometimes, I’ll make a bowl of light and fluffy couscous on the side, which is really delicious. And don’t forget a nice green salad! x
Shannon says
I found this recipe a couple years ago and it is now a family favorite. Especially during the cold and wet fall and winter months. The only change I make is adding an extra can of white beans. So yummy!
Shannon
Emilie says
Hi Shannon,
This is one of my most popular recipes. So much so, I’ve included an updated sheet pan version in my cookbook. As always, I love the addition of more beans! Thanks for the feedback :)
Kim says
I just wanted to chime in and see that this is STILL a go-to recipe for me. It’s my fiancé’s favorite, and easy enough for me to master. Thanks for this :)
Emilie says
Hi Kim! You are very sweet, thank you. So glad you like it :)
Kathryn Tisch says
This is a really pretty… and great tasting dish. I also like having a use for all that extra marinated artichoke juice/oil that comes in the jars. thank you for sharing the recipe.
Anjali Singh-Code says
this was great. only thing i added some lemon juice at the end, which was amazing!
Emilie says
Wonderful! So glad you like it- sounds delicious!
)eannie says
Made this for a family birthdat dinner and it was fantastic. I marinated the chicken using the artichoke juice with garlic and dried herbs. It is a visually beautiful and healthy dish that even my 6 yr old grandchild loooooved. Thanks for this gem.
Katie LaPointe says
I can’t wait to make this recipe! It has all my favorite things….was wondering if you think it can be made in a crockpot somehow?
Katy Sturch says
My husband picked this off the internet and made it tonight…. FANTASTIC. I mean, amazeballs. F’ril. We left the mozzarella on the side rather than in the pan, used dried oregano instead of fresh, and kept the olives whole… Other than that, he followed the recipe as directed. And we ALL loved it!! Easy *and* yummy!! Thank you so much!!
Barb says
Looks great – wondering about the marinade. I’m trying to picture 2 Tablespoons of artichoke juice being enough to soak the chicken?
Emilie says
Hi there!
The 2 tbsp of artichoke juice is just of flavor, not necessarily to soak the chicken. Most marinated artichokes contain vinegar which will give the marinade some punch. The oregano and garlic flavors the chicken as well… Hope this helps! Enjoy the recipe!
Paige says
Making this tonight — going to do a simple lemon marinade for the chicken — but it sounds PERFECT!!!
Stephanie says
This dish reminded me of my mom and grandmothers cooking (they’re 100% greek). I added a 1/4-1/2 cup of lemon juice to the marinade (mostly because I’ve learned from them that anywhere you use oregano you should also use lemon!). i also added a bag of baby spinach. so delicious!
Emilie says
Hi Stephanie!
Oh yes- lemon and oregano are essential! I grow pots and pots of oregano in the summer. I love the way it smells in the warm summer heat. Plus, lemon and oregano is the base for so many of my dishes as well (I just need a lemon tree now!).
I love your addition of spinach! So green and vibrant. Thank you for the feedback :)
Sarah says
Going to cook this again for my roommates tomorrow, we all liked it last time. One quick question though I am very pressed for time tomorrow evening and am hoping to prep everything before hand. Any suggestions for what temperature would be the best to reheat it at without messing up the textures too much?
Emilie says
Hi Sarah,
So glad you and your roommates liked this dish! I would go ahead and reheat at 350 F without the cheese. When the dish has warmed through, go ahead and add the cheese at the end; the residual heat will soften it up without melting it all over the place.
Enjoy your meal! Cheers!
cara says
I’m wondering if chicken breasts would be okay to substitute for the legs? I prefer lean white meat. Would you suggest bone in? Cutting into chunks or strips?
Emilie says
Hi Cara!
Absolutely- you can cut regular boneless skinless chicken breasts into strips or chunks, depending on how you want to serve them. Whatever you choose, just make sure they’re the same size for even cooking. You could even do skin on, bone in breasts as well. Keep them whole and perhaps cut in half if they’re large before serving.
To prepare, brown the meat first (as per the recipe- non stick pan works great) and then allow it to finish cooking in the oven. Keep your eye on it so the breast meat doesn’t dry out.
Happy cooking & have fun with the recipe :)