This easy Baked Greek Chicken with lemon zest, red onion, kalamata olives and spices is a flavor-filled delight! Place this tasty chicken on a bed of spinach with Feta cheese for a simple and delicious meal.
Two of my amazing girlfriends from my childhood came over for dinner (read: wine) the other night so I wanted to throw together a simple and tasty dinner that I could make while chatting (read: drinking) with them in the kitchen.
I decided on a Mediterranean menu, so I made a tray of antipasto for us to snack on before dinner, then put together this Greek Baked Chicken!
This Greek chicken bake is so incredibly easy to make – just toss everything into an ovenproof dish and throw it in the oven.
Ali over at Gimme Some Oven gave me the idea to spread some hummus over the chicken before cooking it, which is pretty much a life-changing idea.
The hummus worked as an insulator to keep the baked Greek chicken breast moist and tender, while the top part of the hummus gets light and crispy. Crispy = yummy.
This is so wonderful on a bed of spinach, or topped on warm pita bread!
Us gals gobbled this down, then devoured 6 Lemon-Rosemary Panna Cottas between the three of us.
We didn’t have much wine leftover, either!
Here’s the Recipe!
Baked Greek Chicken
This easy Baked Greek Chicken with lemon zest, red onion, kalamata olives and spices is a flavor-filled delight! Place this tasty chicken on a bed of spinach with Feta cheese for a simple and delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Red onion, cut into thick slices
- 1/3 c. pitted kalamata olives
- 2 to 3 large chicken breasts
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 tsp. Greek seasoning (or 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 c. hummus
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- Crumbled Feta for topping
- Spinach and pita bread for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450
- Zest one lemon. Place zest in a large bowl and add 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add in the red onion slices and kalamata olives and toss to coat. Place onions and olives in the bottom of a baking dish.
- Cut the chicken breasts into tenders (slice them parallel to your work service, then cut each half into 3 pieces. Season the tenders with salt, pepper,and Greek seasoning (if using) then place them on top of the bed of onions and olives. Tuck the peeled garlic cloves under the chicken to keep them from burning.
- Spread the hummus evenly over the top of the chicken breasts. Squeeze the juice out of the zested lemon over the top of the chicken and onions. Sprinkle the paprika over the top. Add the zested and squeezed lemon rinds to the pan.
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the perimeter of the pan, then drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the top of the tomatoes. Return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- Serve on a bed of spinach, topped with feta cheese and with extra lemon wedges for squeezing. Optional accompaniments: Roasted red peppers, pepperoncinis, pita bread with hummus, or cucumbers.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per ServingCalories 262 Total Fat 9g Saturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 6g Cholesterol 55mg Sodium 589mg Carbohydrates 22g Fiber 4g Sugar 8g Protein 24g
Comments
Excellent recipe! My husband said he would eat this any time. And I love that it was simple to make. I plan to make this dish the next time I have guests for dinner. I served it with a lemon rice pilaf and sauteed summer squash. With wine, of course! It was a wonderful weekend dinner. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Kathy! My husband loved it, too. One of those great, simple recipes I keep in my dinner rotation 🙂
Aw yum! The idea of the crispy hummus on top of the chicken is genius! Love the idea of wrapping up the soft, fragrant chicken in warm pita bread with feta. Haha, ‘wine down’ nights are a common thing amongst girlfriends. I do exactly the same thing with my friends. I might just try this dish next time… less work is awesome xx
I love dishes that I can just put in the oven and ignore! Best way to cook 🙂
We love this recipe so much, we featured it on our blog of dinner recipes!
Thanks for being awesome!
http://www.thesundaydinner.net
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
This chicken was amazingly delicious! I loved how a gravy basically formed in the bottom of the baking dish. I shared this recipe in my most recent meal plan on my blog, thank you!
Emily
Hi, Emily! I’m so glad you like this recipe 🙂 I’m actually going to be making it again this weekend because I love it so much! Such an easy way to do dinner. Thanks for sharing this recipe on your meal plan – I LOVE your blog, I think I remember seeing my Pork Tenderloin with Chipotle-Cranberry sauce on your “cranberry” feature. So glad to be following you!
I had high hopes. The hummus did not get crunchy. The taste was pretty good . Very easy to make .
Hi, Cindy! I’m sorry to hear that – I’ve had great luck with this recipe! You might try using less hummus than I did and spreading it out in a thinner layer. Thank you for the feedback!
OMG! Delicious and oh so easy to make! A real keeper!
Thanks, Becky! I’m so glad you like it 🙂
Just made this tonight and it was super yummy! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it, Alicia! 🙂
Had bought the ingredients for Greek salad this week, and changed my mind to this after my sister pinned it to Pinterest. Just made it tonight and verdict = SO! fantastic! came together really easily – I served on bed of spinach & romaine with soft mini pitas on the side, used a bit of the sauce/juice as dressing. Will be making again 9and again, and again, I’m sure!)
I’m so glad you liked it, Gem! It’s one of my favorite go-to dinners, too. I can’t resist anything Greek 🙂
This was a huge hit, thanks for sharing! I like simple and healthy ingredients that pack a lot of flavor, so this was perfect! I made it with rice and a yogurt garlic dressing.
I’m so glad you liked it, Deniz! That yogurt garlic dressing sounds super tasty 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight, it was a HIT. Kids & hubby loved it – so many great tastes mixed together. We had it with a side of cucumber & pita. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome, Tina!! I’m so glad you and your family liked it.
This right here is my version of winner winner chicken dinner! It was so great! I forgot to add feta to mine and it was still great…can’t wait til breakfast tomorrow, will have it then AND add the feta this time! Highly recommend this one!!!
My mom says that you can make anything fancy by adding Feta 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. Made this last night. Very tasty!
Thanks, Liam! This is one of my favorites 🙂