A few weeks ago, my Dad was in the bay area for work and came to visit Gabe and I in the Creek! So of course we had to cook a lovely meal for him and feature it here on Cooking in the Creek. This recipe is from my Food & Wine cookbook, which I actually found for free last year in San Francisco, in a box of free books in an apartment lobby. What a steal! This dish is healthy, easy to make, and has bold mediterranean flavors with the kalamata olives, feta and fresh lemon. I served the chicken on a bed of couscous with oven roasted zucchini and yellow squash on the side. To top it all off, we opened up a 15-year-old bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner, from Gabe’s Uncle Kiko. What a wonderful night!

Mediterranean Chicken 001

Mediterranean Chicken 002

Mediterranean Chicken 004

Mediterranean Chicken 003

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chopped oregano (I used dry, but fresh would be good too)

1 – 10 ounce box of frozen artichoke hearts , thawed and patted dry (or canned works too)

20 pitted kalamata olives, halved

1/2 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese

Salt and pepper, freshly ground

4 – 6 ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of olive with the lemon juice , lemon zest, garlic and oregano. Fold in the artichokes, olives and feta; season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. In a ovenproof skillet, heat the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 3 minutes; turn the chicken over and transfer the skillet to the oven.

Roast the chicken for about 10-15 minutes, until white throughout. Transfer the chicken to plates and spoon the sauce on top. Garnish with the parsley and serve.