Mediterranean Chicken

If you are looking for a delicious and fresh-tasting main dish that is easy to make and good for you, you have just found it.

I found this recipe on one of my main go to sites, allrecipes.com.  I read a bunch of reviews and made some adjustments that I thought would enhance this dish.  The original recipe called for whole chicken breasts, but I cubed mine.  In hindsight, this was probably not the best idea for a main dish on its own.  However, the next day (at hubby’s suggestion) we served the leftovers over angel hair pasta, and voila!  It was perfect.  A match made in heaven.  Which of course I didn’t get any pictures of.

So, if you’re going to use this just as a main dish, don’t cube the chicken.  Leave it whole and serve it with the sauce and some crusty French bread to mop it all up.  However, if you’re in a pasta mood, this is the perfect sauce for it.

The other adjustments I made were to double the sauce, substitute canned diced tomatoes (with no added salt of course) for the fresh ones (this was suggested by some readers as the fresh tomatoes ended up too mushy and didn’t create enough sauce), and add some chopped marinated artichoke hearts.  Because what is a Mediterranean dish without artichoke hearts?  Answer: It’s not a Mediterranean dish.

This could easily be made into a vegetarian dish/pasta sauce by substituting the chicken for some tofu or adding more vegetables.

As you would expect, the flavors were even more delicious as they melded, so don’t be afraid to make this dish in advance and reheat the next day.

Oh and P.S.: The delicious-looking fresh ciabatta bread was made by my wonderful husband.  It tasted as delicious as it looks.  Next time we make it, I’ll be sure to post the recipe.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.

Print Recipe

Mediterranean Chicken

Servings: 6 servings

Author: The Gourmet Housewife

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp white wine
• 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives
• 2/3 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons white wine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken for a couple minutes, until golden, but not fully cooked. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
• Sauté garlic in pan drippings for 30 seconds, then add onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat, add 1/2 cup white wine and simmer for 10 minutes. Add thyme and basil and simmer for 5 more minutes.
• Return chicken to skillet and cover. Cook over low heat until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. Add olives, artichokes, and parsley to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over cooked angel hair pasta.