This very easy Skillet Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes will be your next favorite recipe for a weeknight dinner as it is on the table in just 30 minutes. Savor the tastes of Italy with this quick fix of a meal. Serve it up with some crusty bread to sop up that wonderful sauce, and you have a complete meal.
Try some of our other quick-fix meals for a chicken like our Chicken Marengo, Skillet Chicken with Beans and Greens, Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore, Instant Pot Jerk Chicken and Little Potatoes, and 30 Minute Chicken and Dumplings Recipe. Or what about another tomato dish like this Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Tomatoes, so good!
This quick and easy dinner will become one of your favorite meals for a chicken skillet recipe. It takes a short amount of cooking time but packs in a ton of flavor.
Need help to season that cast iron plan? We have a great post for you.
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What Goes Into Skillet Chicken?
For this quick dinner, you will need simple ingredients, but you will want to get really good ingredients, too, as each one shines through. You can use boneless chicken breasts, but my preference is bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for a recipe like this. You will get maximum flavor from the chicken then, and it won’t be dried out in the least.
Fresh herbs make this chicken dinner even better. As I was saying, get the best ingredients, and this will soon become your favorite chicken.
Next, you want to get really good olives. I like to get just the right amount from the deli, and my favorite black olive is a pitted (important) Kalamata olive. A good quality stuffed green olive would work well too.
Get fresh little tomatoes. If they are grape or cherry or different colors, it doesn’t matter. Just nice plump fresh ones are the best.
Ingredients
Olive oil
Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on, (you can use boneless skinless too, whatever you have available)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Sweet onion
2 tsp minced garlic
White wine or chicken stock
Butter
Grape tomatoes, whole
Kalamata olives, whole
Fresh oregano
Fresh thyme
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped for garnish
Lemon wedge, for serving
Crusty bread, for serving
How to Cook Chicken in a Skillet
It is best to have everything ready or mise en place for a quick meal like this. Being prepared for 30-minute meals is half the battle. This will make sure ingredients can be added quickly.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high, and add the olive oil.
Season the chicken with Kosher salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan and sear for 3-4 minutes per side.
Remove the chicken to a plate and set it aside. Don’t use paper towels here as any drippings you want to add back into the skillet. That is flavor, so don’t throw it away.
Add the onions and garlic to the pan, cook for 30 seconds scraping up the brown bits from the pan.
Now, add the white wine or chicken stock and continue to scrape the bottom of the pan for 1-2 minutes.
Add the butter to the pan, and once melted, return the chicken and any juices on the plate to the pan, along with the cherry tomatoes, fresh oregano, thyme, and olives. This little bit of butter will add the richness that is needed to the sauce, don’t omit it.
Make sure everything is nestled tightly in the bottom of the pan.
How Long to Cook Chicken in a Skillet
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Discard the oregano and thyme sprigs, garnish with the parsley and squeeze the lemon wedge over the chicken.
Serve with crusty bread.
What Kind of Skillet Do You Use For Chicken?
You can use any kind of skillet for chicken, but for this recipe, you need something that can withstand high heat! A cast-iron skillet pan works wonderfully for this and can be your go-to pan for anything that needs to go from stovetop to oven.
Make sure to check the manufacturer’s guidelines for any other kind of pan. Anything with a plastic-type handle will not do well in high heat.
Cast iron can even go directly onto your BBQ grill, where you can use it on direct heat or indirect heat. A very versatile pan and, if well seasoned, a great non-stick pan too.
What Side Dish Goes With Skillet Chicken?
What goes with skillet chicken? You can totally have this on its own, but if you would like to add to it, a quick vegetable like steamed green beans or asparagus goes so nicely with a skillet meal like this.
Also, a fresh, simple green salad goes perfectly well with this chicken dish, too. Arugula salad would be gorgeous with this, adding a peppery finish.
Don’t forget the crusty bread or a roll to sop up those extra juices; that is always the best.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Skillet Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on, (you can use boneless skinless too, whatever you have available)
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- ½ sweet onion thinly sliced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ¾ cup of white wine or chicken stock
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes whole
- 1/3 cup Kalamata olives whole
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano
- 4 fresh sprigs fresh thyme
- Flat leaf parsley chopped for garnish
- Lemon wedge for serving
- Crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high, and add the olive oil.
- Season the chicken with Kosher salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan and sear for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
- Add the onions and garlic to the pan, and cook for 30 seconds scraping up the brown bits from the pan.
- Now, add the white wine or chicken stock and continue to scrape the bottom of the pan for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the butter to the pan, and once melted, return the chicken and any juices on the plate to the pan, along with the cherry tomatoes, fresh oregano, thyme, and olives.
- Make sure everything is nestled tightly in the bottom of the pan.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Discard the oregano and thyme sprigs, garnish with the parsley, and squeeze the lemon wedge over the chicken.
- Serve with crusty bread.
Comments & Reviews
Joseph Smith says
Tara, that was delicious! Chicken is my favorite food, and I enjoy cooking it on occasion. This dish is a godsend for someone like me since it is easy to prepare, yet the flavor and taste make you feel like an expert. I followed your general directions, which were not difficult to follow, and the meal turned out flawlessly. Keep sharing.
Tara Noland says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe. We love it and make it often! There will be more recipes like this coming soon.