(updated November 1, 2023) // by Phoebe Lapine // 49 comments
4.96 from 25 votes
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When you cook as often as I do, you sometimes find yourself falling back on the same formulas. Maybe now that we are on week 7 of quarantine, you all are starting to feel me? When I’m wanting to be extra lazy without losing the wow factor, I reach for this baked chicken with Kalamata olives, which has been a favorite since my early small kitchen days.
The version in my first cookbook is a bastardized Marbella with olives, dates, tomatoes and fresh oregano. The beauty of the dish, and the reason why there was a culinary movement among busy hostesses around The Silver Palette Cookbook, is that it can be assembled in its marinate the night before and baked-off when you’re ready to eat. The domestic genius is a no-brainer. But these rules apply equally to catering – if not more so.
For a while, I had a version of this dish on my dinner party catering menu. Instead of olives and dried fruit, I went an Italian route with sundried tomatoes, white beans, and lots of rosemary. I’ve been meaning to share the recipe on this site forever. But somehow, even though I’ve made it a dozen times, I never manage to snap a pic of the final dish.
A few years ago I catered an Easter lunch and tried out a new Moroccan-style version with preserved lemons and rosemary, inspired by this lamb marinade. Forty person meals are usually not the time to test out a new recipe for the first time. But given the results, I’m even more convinced that this formula is flawless.
For this Kalamata olive chicken, I’ve simplified the marinade even further. You can add any herb you have on hand, even dried.
I assume none of us are having a dinner party anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment on your loved one for a special weekend date night chicken. You will be shocked by where you net out on the deliciousness to easiness ratio. (If you need another one, this Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie also fits the bill!)
Since my loved one no longer eats chicken, I shared this Kalamata chicken with my mother who was more than happy to take half the pan off my hands.
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Mediterranean Baked Chicken with Kalamata Olives
4.96 from 25 votes
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This dish is like a dumbed down Marbella, which is already pretty easy peasy. Feel free to add to it: dried fruit would be nice, as would preserved lemons.
To make this Low FODMAP, simply omit the garlic.
Servings 4
Author Phoebe Lapine
Ingredients
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl or baking dish, combine the vinegar, Dijon, olive oil, garlic, salt, and rosemary.
Add the chicken and olives and swish the meat around until coated in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight, covered.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Transfer the chicken and as much of the marinade as you can into a 9 x 13 baking dish or oven-proof skillet. Arrange the chicken in an even layer. Pour the white wine into the pan and season the chicken lightly with salt. Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the chicken is very tender and the top is golden brown.
Serve alongside quinoa, rice, or some crusty bread.
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!
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Comments
Marie @ Little Kitchie says Yes, yes, and YES. This looks absolutely fabulous!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Thank you Marie!!
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- Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking says
I love the sweet and salty combo at play in this dish! So easy and flavorful, I mus try this!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Thanks, Stefanie! Maybe Mad Men night next week? it’s got a retro feel 🙂
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- Frankie says
No wonder it’s popular – sugar!
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- Emm says
Sugar in the chicken with kalamata olives recipe???
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- HillyHo says
I made this tonight with my best friend. It was delicious!!!!!!
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- Keith says
I made this tonight for a date and daaaaaamn did it do me good! 😉
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- Phoebe Lapine says
looks like you’re being moved into friend zone 🙂
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- Kathy says
This sounds amazing but my husband is one of those fish eating vegetarians– any suggestions on an adaptation?
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- Phoebe Lapine says
hmm – you could try monkfish? but don’t marinate over night and just bake all together for 20minutes or so. I also have a great recipe for tofu marbella in the archives!
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- Erica J says
Hi! Just found you on Pinterest. LOVE your recipes! Could i omit the sugar from this recipe? replace it with honey? thoughts?
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Thanks Erica!! I’m so glad you found me! You could definitely omit if you wanted to or replace with honey. It’s really to help the top of the chicken brown up nicely. So I might whisk honey together with some of the marinade or a little extra oil to make it more drizzle friendly 🙂 You also might like this recipe, which is similar: https://feedmephoebe.com/2014/04/baked-chicken-recipe-tomatoes-capers-dates/
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- Julia says
90 minutes at 375 seems like a long cooking time for boneless chicken. Wouldn’t it be fully cooked in about half that amount of time? What is the reason for the extra-long cooking time? Thanks!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
breasts, yes. Thighs no! You can certainly cook them for less, but they won’t get as fork-tender, melt-in-your-mouth or as browned on top. I would definitely cook them for at least an hour. Let me know how it goes!
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- Julia says
Thank you! I baked it for just over an hour and used a combination of breasts and thighs. Both came out juicy and tender. Delicious recipe!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
Fabulous!! Thank you for making and reporting back! xo
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- Christine says
This recipe is amazing. I’ve tried with both boneless chicken breasts and thighs, and definitely much better with the thighs, but amazing either way. It fills the entire home with an aroma to die for! My go-to!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
hooray! I’m so glad you like it Christine! One of my favorites as well 🙂
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- Hilly Ho says
Making this again tonight with my “friend”… We’re about to binge watch House of Cards. One of our favorite meals 🙂
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- Phoebe Lapine says
eeee that’s what we did all weekend!!! I hope you enjoyed it and Francis + Claire.
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- Little Cooking Tips says
This looks absolutely delicious! And what an amazing idea to pair chicken with Kalamata olives! We will definitely try it out 🙂
Sending you lots of sunshine for Greece
xoxo
Mirella & PanosReply
- Kyra Morris says
Wow! What an easy and scrumptious recipe. I made this for my son and his family and even my picky 5 year old granddaughter loved it. My husband and I had it for leftovers the next night, and it was just as good the next night. Highly recommend this!Reply
- Christina says
This tastes amazing and smells even better!! Thanks for sharing!
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- Allie M says
This was amazing and so delicious! I cooked this for Christmas Eve for my husband and I and we couldn’t get enough of it. It was so easy to make and I loved being able to do other things in the hour it took to marinade. We did chicken breasts, and I wish I had read some of the comments as it definitely doesn’t need the full time to cook –we found that at about 45-50 minutes the chicken was fully cooked (we used a meat thermometer) and then left it in the oven but turned the heat off for about 20 more minutes as we prepared mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. Will definitely be incorporating this into our regular meals!Reply
- Hadley says
Hi! I loved the version that you used to have on your site! Why did you take out the brown sugar and prunes and glass baking dish out of curiosity? Would you ever repost it? I’ve been making that recipe for so long and miss the old version! Thanks!
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- Phoebe Lapine says
That is a different dish, Hadley! That’s the marbella.
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- Jeni says
OK, this is starting to make sense… 2 different recipes… I’m right in the middle of making the Kalmata Chicken recipe and while it’s marinating in the fridge started reading the comments and thought “HowTheH did I miss the sugar!?” I’m excited to bake it♡ though a little nervous, marinade tasted a bit Salty and I used bone in thighs (removed skin). Will put on convection and check meat thermometer… crossing fingers! Must have to try the Maribel recipe next time 🙂
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- Steve Fisher says
I made it once before without reading the comments and it was great. But then I DID read the comments and several people made reference to “the sugar” possibly being deleted or honey substituted. But there is no sugar of any kind in the ingredient list in the recipe I’m seeing. Based on the comments, I added ½ Tbl but don’t have a clue as to what you were suggesting . . . Was there a glitch or am I going blind?
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- Phoebe Lapine says
I changed the recipe from an old one and removed the sugar
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- JP says
I love this recipe. I discovered it by accident while looking up ways to use up leftover kalamata olives. One question though: could I use a bowl instead of a zip lock bag to marinate?Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
definitely! anything that can be covered / sealed.
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- Phoebe Lapine says
definitely!
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- Susan R says
I decided to make this because I had all the ingredients, and it was amazing! My only changes were: 1) 1/2 red wine vinegar and 1/2 (plus a little extra) balsamic vinegar, for some sweetness, and 2) about 2/3rds kalamata olives (quartered) and 1/3 golden raisins. Mine had browned quite a lot after one hour, so I took it out of the oven and it was perfect. I’d feel good about making this for company; it’s very simple but tastes like something special..Reply
- T says
Great recipe. A new favouriteReply
- JP says
What kind of white wine do you use?
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- Phoebe Lapine says
anything on the dry side! Ideally not something too oaky. I go with a pretty standard pinot grigio for cooking.
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- JP says
Thank you for responding so soon.
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- Karen Ellery says
I am hesitant to say “foolproof” because I always seem to find a way to be a better fool, but I have tried this so far with chicken thighs, pork chops, and lamb, and it was WONDERFUL with all. So rare, THANK YOU!Reply
- Amy Pinheiro says
Would I just omit the garlic to make low FODMAP or are there other changes I should make?
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- Phoebe Lapine says
correct! just omit the garlic
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- Rick says
Ridiculously good. Put them over a bed of rice with soy sauce, butter and pepper. The chicken and that juice on top, winning combo. Can’t wait to make it for friends.Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
yay!! so glad you enjoyed
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- Tom Doran says
I loved the ingredients of the Mediterranean Baked Chicken with Kalamata Olives. However, I would change the cooking techniques and instruction. I followed the instructions and baked it in a 9×13 Pyrex glass baking dish at 375 degrees for one hour and a half, per the instructions. I could tell after one hour and twenty minutes that the boneless, skinless chicken thighs were drying out. So I pulled out the dish, covered the top with foil and reduced the heat to 325 degrees for the remaining ten minutes. The chicken was still a bit dry. I want to try this dish again, but I’m going to try the following: Bake for the first 20 minutes at 375 degrees to brown the top of the thighs, then take out and place a sheet of foil over the top and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees for one more hour. I will let you know how this turns out. i gave the current recipe 4 out of 5 stars because the chicken was a little dry. (I even used 3/4 cup of white wine.)Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
Thanks for the feedback Tom! THings definitely vary if your thighs are small. Instead of changing the temp and covering, I would just take it out earlier – you can check at the 40 minutes mark. They’ll be cooked through at that point and if you don’t want them to be so fork tender, you can remove then!
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- Shellie Holk says
I have made this twice and it is my new favorite recipe. My husband loves it too! First time I made the inside of is quinoa and white bean recipe and next with a farro risotto. Such beautiful flavors. Thank you for sharing.Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
Thrilled you enjoyed it!! Love those side ideas
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