Name: Chicken and Olives
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin; salt and ground black pepper to taste; 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste; 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 0.25 cup sliced shallots; 0.5 cup pitted and sliced green olives; 0.5 cup brine-cured pitted olives, such as Kalamata, halved lengthwise and brine reserved; 1 cup chicken broth; 1 lemon, zested and juiced; 0.5 teaspoon cumin; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into four pieces

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

This recipe yields 4 servings:

4 boneless chicken breasts with skin
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
2 tablespoons olive oil
cup sliced shallots
cup pitted and sliced green olives
cup brine-cured pitted olives, such as Kalamata, halved lengthwise and brine reserved
1 cup chicken broth
1 lemon, zested and juiced
teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into four pieces

Directions

Step 1: Season the skin side of the chicken breasts with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Flip the chicken and season the skinless side with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and herbes de Provence. Flip the chicken back so that the skin side is facing up. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts skin-side down. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until the skin is well-browned, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until just browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Step 3: Lower the heat to medium. Add the sliced shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the olives and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Step 4: Add the chicken broth to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Bring the broth to a boil. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the reserved olive brine, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cumin. Increase the heat to high and cook the sauce until it reduces by half, about 2-3 minutes.

Step 5: Lower the heat to low and return the chicken breasts to the skillet, skin-side up. Cover the skillet and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read at least 165F (74C) when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken.

Step 6: Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Stir in the chopped parsley and butter into the sauce, stirring constantly until the butter has melted and the sauce is glossy.

Step 7: Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories	642
Total Fat	37g
Saturated Fat	10g
Cholesterol	207mg
Sodium	901mg
Total Carbohydrate	7g
Dietary Fiber	2g
Total Sugars	0g
Protein	69g
Vitamin C	25mg
Calcium	76mg
Iron	4mg
Potassium	659mg

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Comments

DiGiovine

10/06/2025 01:52:54 PM

Delicious and unique tasting. The flavors are complex and satisfying. This is a great meal to have when you want a dish that stands out from the rest. I substituted beef broth, but will use chicken broth (as per the recipe) next time because I think it will give a more subtle flavor.

Sande McDermott

05/27/2021 06:39:22 PM

Loved the flavors. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts. I sliced lemons and placed on the bottom of a baking dish I sprayed with olive oil. I placed the chicken on top. Added all the seasonings and olives to the chicken broth, I used Better than Bouillon. Poured over the chicken. Baked covered at 350 for 20 minutes, then uncovered for another 10 or so until breasts done.

Katherine Rogers

04/09/2018 03:47:10 PM

It was good - I made a few changes - I substituted chicken wings for the breast - breast is too dry for me. I also substituted the stock for white wine. I added mushrooms and artichoke hearts and added a little cream to the sauce to richen it. I served over pasta. Came out awesome!

FizzyJuice2646

01/23/2023 04:52:57 AM

I have been looking for a chicken and olives recipe to compare with a dish we had many times at a long-closed Italian restaurant. This recipe turned out quite good although the herbs de Provence give it a decidedly French taste, especially also substituting Pinot Grigio for the chicken stock. We served it over egg noodles. I also found a recipe exactly the same as this one except substituting the usual suspect Italian herbs for the herbs de Provence. We will try that one next.

marcoSuzi

09/06/2018 09:46:14 PM

FANTASTIC dish! I made the chicken the night before but the sauce the day I was serving this awesome recipe!! Does not take long to make at all, especially if you can make the chicken the night previous. I served it over spaghetti with zucchini on the side. Make the sauce, the day of serving pour over the chicken and put in oven for about 15-20 minutes. This could also be done the night previous and all would be ready for dinner the next night. I would add rolls, or garlic bread next time, but is certainly filling. I also baked the zucchini squash in the oven while the casserole was heating thru! Absolutely delicious. I also combined the green olives with Kalamata olives just for color and a little more brine! Everyone liked it very much. Quick, easy dish, and great for pot lucks or any time.

Stephen Allen

04/18/2020 10:01:37 PM

Made it and I feel unstoppable.

Chertinep

09/11/2018 12:24:32 AM

I have made this several times and it’s a family favorite. Currently I use 5-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs and add the herbes de Provence with the olives. I leave everything else the same. It’s just an amazing combination of flavors!

Karen

04/03/2023 03:01:59 PM

I loved it! I always have leftover olives from cocktail hours so I had a lot of mixed olives so I used them and it was great! Also I only had chicken thighs that I had unfrozen and had cut them into cubes. It still worked and tasted great. Another thing...I preserved my own lemons and that was a great addition with the juice!!

KimcheeMomma

10/02/2017 10:07:03 PM

This was FANTASTIC!!! I cut up a whole chicken because that's what I had it cooked accordingly. I also had garlic stuffed green olives which brought a nice additional extra something. I used a splash of vermouth to deglaze the pan as well. This is def going into the rotation.

Laura Hayes

03/08/2015 04:57:16 PM

Excellent! Never would have paired olives with chicken but the flavors were outstanding together. Leftovers even made a mean sandwich! With just the two of us, we halved the meat but retained the measurements for the sauce. Chicken breasts that we used were too thick, so 2nd time around, we filleted the breast to cut down on cooking time. Definitely a keeper and well worth the prep time!

Jaimee Rakos

12/13/2017 01:27:44 AM

I had to improvise (a lot) so it really wasn’t the same dish. I gave it 5 stars based on the original recipe bc even tho I haven’t tried it yet I’m positive it will be awesome! I’m a huge olive fan so I can just imagine. Cooking method is on point & I was able to adapt easily. I used Italian seasoning, rosemary, & paprika instead of herbes de Provence. Regular onions instead of shallots. And wait for it- pepperchinis instead of olives. Also added feta to the sauce- which didn’t look very pretty but it still turned out delicious!!

TrustyGrape3129

11/20/2024 04:37:35 AM

I loved this recipe! It was easy to make and so flavorful. I'll definitely keep it on rotation.

BriefCorn4879

02/26/2023 03:21:07 AM

This is the best chicken recipe I’ve ever made and I’ve made a lot. Amazing. Strongly recommend.

Chaya Hoffman

07/18/2022 04:16:07 AM

Loved it! Husby is from France and it's officially in the rotation as one of his faves. I kept everything the same except I used chicken thighs instead. Served it on a bed of rice

Sarah Ruthven

03/09/2022 09:02:49 PM

I’ll never get bored of this flavor combination! It’s such a comforting dish. I serve it with rice so all the sauce gets soaked up! Delicious

SaraJane

02/26/2022 07:49:39 PM

Did not love it, but was ok. Followed recipe exactly and served over cous cous. Probably won't make again. My husband said it smelled better than it tasted.