Skillet Braised Greek Chicken Thighs

Last updated on June 5th, 2018 at 12:01 pm

Skillet Braised Greek Chicken Thighs – juicy and crispy chicken, kalamata olives and pearl onions come together in this beautiful one pot dish for an easy dinner.

Don’t you all just love one pot wonders? I know I do, because I really really hate washing dishes, especially pots. This recipe is all about Greek flavors, especially if you love Kalamata olives. I could eat kalamata olives by the jars, though I don’t because of all the salt, but I could, they’re really yummy. I’m also in love with fresh thyme lately, and it’s probably quite evident since I’ve been adding it to all sorts of recipes. It’s a very aromatic herb and quite pretty.

Braising any kind of meat basically means to first lightly fry the meat, to get that nice crispy and golden brown exterior then continue stewing it over low heat for a longer period of time. It’s a really easy way to cook meat and especially with chicken thighs, you always end up with juicy fall off the bone meat. Which is what I did here.

I used my skillet again here, just to show you its versatility. You’ll need about 8 chicken thighs, I used bone in and skin on chicken thighs. You’ll probably ask me if you can use skinless and boneless and the answer is of course you can, but I like the crispiness of the chicken especially in this dish. You’ll want to season your chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper and then fry them on both sides until golden brown, about 8 minutes per side. You’ll probably notice that the chicken isn’t cooked through all the way, so please resist the temptation to bite into it, wouldn’t want you to get sick.

You’ll then want to remove the chicken from the skillet temporarily and add your garlic, pearl onions, lemons and thyme. Saute these together for a few minutes, until you notice the onions and garlic start to get tender, at which point you can throw in the olives, wine and lemon juice and then add the chicken back in. You can now place the skillet in the oven and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through and becomes really tender, for about 40 or 45 minutes.

The chicken will come out perfect, juicy and tender and so full of flavor. I served these with my skillet potatoes and what a meal this was. Perfect for your Sunday supper, but easy enough that you could make this any night of the week.

If you love this recipe, try these!

• One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
• Greek Pork Loin Ribs and Potatoes Sheet Pan Dinner
• Lemon Chicken Rice Bake

If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!

5 from 2 votes

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Skillet Braised Greek Chicken Thighs

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 5 mins

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

Skillet Braised Greek Chicken Thighs - juicy and crispy chicken, kalamata olives and pearl onions come together in this beautiful one pot dish for an easy dinner.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: 4

Calories: 456 kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs skin on and bone-in
• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic peeled
• 8 oz pearl onions peeled
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 lemons cut in thirds
• 1 cup kalamata olives pitted
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees.
2. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. In large 12 inch skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Arrange the seasoned chicken thighs in the skillet, and cook on both sides for about 8 minutes per side or until the chicken is golden brown. The chicken will not be cooked through at this point. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside for a few minutes.
4. Add the garlic cloves, pearl onions, fresh thyme sprigs, and the lemon halves to the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions and garlic begin to soften and start to brown a bit.
5. Add the olives, then the white wine and lemon juice to the skillet. Add the chicken back to the skillet, arranging the chicken so that it sits directly on the bottom of the skillet.
6. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 40 or 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Recipe Notes

You can use skinless and boneless thighs, or even chicken breasts or drumsticks for this recipe.

 

You can adjust the number of garlic cloves to suit your taste.

 

If you're afraid that your chicken will brown too much in the oven, feel free to cover the skillet with foil to prevent it from browning.

 

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used. Nutritional information is based on 2 thighs per person.

 

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