It’s cold and rainy tonight, but this meal took all the gloom away!
This chicken dish has pretty much ALL of my faves…artichokes, fresh oregano, tomatoes, beans, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Yum yum yum! The only thing it was missing (in my opinion) was a little balsamic vinegar. Next time I make this dish (and there will be a next time!), I’ll probably heat some balsamic in a saucepan on the stove until it thickens and then drizzle the glaze on top of the dish before serving.
You do need to plan ahead for this meal because the chicken needs to marinate for 2-3 hours. Then, you brown the chicken while some of the vegetables roast away in the oven. Once the chicken is browned, add it and the rest of the vegetables to the baking dish and sit back and relax until dinner is ready to be served! It’s that simple!
Start by marinating the chicken a couple of hours before cooking…
- Cut about 2½ pounds chicken breast into strips.
- Place the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag.
- Thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic.
- Mince up some fresh oregano.
- Add the garlic and oregano to the bag.
- Pour about 2 tablespoons of the liquid from a jar of marinated artichokes into the bag.
- Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the chicken.
- Lay flat in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
When you’re ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 400°…
- Thinly slice 1 large onion.
- Place the onion in a large baking dish.
- Add 1 pint of grape tomatoes.
- Drizzle some EVOO on top.
- Season with s&p to taste.
- Toss to combine everything.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile heat some more EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Place the marinated chicken in the hot skillet and brown, about 5 minutes per side.
- Take the onions and tomatoes out of the oven.
- Sprinkle in about ½ cup of pitted kalamata olives.
- Drain and rinse 1 small can of white beans.
- Add the beans to the baking dish.
- Add 1 jar of marinated artichokes.
- Add the browned chicken to the baking dish.
- Place back in the oven and bake until the chicken is completely cooked, about 7 more minutes.
- Give everything a stir.
- Remove form the oven and scatter some bocconcini (aka tiny fresh mozzarella balls) on top.
- Stir to incorporate the cheese.
- Drizzle the remaining liquid from the marinated artichokes over everything.
- Chop up some more oregano.
- Sprinkle it on top of everything.
Serve over brown (or white) rice while everything is still hot and the cheese is still ooey-gooey. You could also serve over couscous or quinoa, for added protein. Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Corned Beef Hash
Baked Mediterranean Chicken (serves 4-6)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
- 1 jar marinated artichokes
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 can small white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted
- ½ cup bocconcini
DIRECTIONS:
- Place the chicken in a large resealable bag.
- Add the garlic, oregano, and 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the marinated artichokes.
- Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the chicken.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 400°.
- Add the onions and tomatoes to a large baking dish.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on top.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss to combine.
- Place in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet.
- Brown the chicken on both sides.
- Add the chicken to the onions and tomatoes.
- Add the artichokes, beans, and olives.
- Stir to combine, then place back in the oven.
- Bake until the chicken is fully cooked, about 7 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add the bocconcini.
- Drizzle the remaining liquid from the artichokes on top.
- Toss to combine.
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