October 31, 2019

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Olives

Name: Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Olives
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 33 min
Total time: 98 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (divided); 4 chicken breasts (small-medium sized, skin-on,bone-in (about 3 lb.)); Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; 2 lemons (divided; 1 sliced into rounds,1 squeezed); 4 garlic cloves (crushed with the flat side of a knife); 1 cup Castelvetrano olives (pitted and torn (I buy mine at Whole Foods. They can also be found at other specialty markets.)); 3 or more large thyme sprigs (for garnish (optional))

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Olives is typical of Mediterranean-style eating. Just a few simple and fresh ingredients that are light on the palette (and on the waistline) but have just the right amount of flavor and texture when combined to elevate the dish from simple to sublime.

Jump to Recipe

Lemon and Olive Prep

marinated lemon slice, green olives and lemon juice

Thinly slice 1 lemon crosswise into rounds; pluck out seeds. Place lemon slices in a small bowl. Add garlic and 1 Tbsp. oil and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Juice remaining lemon (you should have about ¼ cup). Tear or cut olives in half. Set lemon juice and olives aside.

Grilling the Lemon Slices

Preheat grill to medium then spray grates with non-stick oil. Grill lemon slices (and smashed garlic cloves) turning once, until charred in spots, about 3 minutes total. Set aside.

Chicken: Prep and Grilling Instructions

Trim and pat chicken breasts dry; season generously all over with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil or parchment (for easier clean up); let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Before grilling, pat chicken dry again (the salt will have drawn out more moisture).

Grill chicken skin side up, 15–20 minutes covered.

Turn chicken over (skin side down), cover, and continue to grill for 8-10 minutes. If using an instant-read thermometer, insert into the thickest part of breasts and temperature should register 160°.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 10–15 minutes.

Using your hands, pull chicken meat from bones and slice into ½” thick pieces as I did in above photo.

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Olives

Place chicken pieces on a rimmed platter, fanning slices. Scatter thyme sprigs, olives, and grilled lemon slices over the chicken. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle reserved lemon juice and remaining ½ cup oil over. Let sit at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving.

Print Recipe

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Olives

Prep Time20

Cook Time33

Resting Time45

Total Time1 38

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Greek, Italian, Mediterranean

Keyword: castelvetrano olives, chicken breasts, chicken dinner, gluten free, lemon, thyme

Servings: 4 people

Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil divided
4 chicken breasts small-medium sized, skin-on,bone-in (about 3 lb.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 lemons divided; 1 sliced into rounds,1 squeezed
4 garlic cloves crushed with the flat side of a knife
1 cup Castelvetrano olives pitted and torn (I buy mine at Whole Foods. They can also be found at other specialty markets.)
3 or more large thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat grill on medium and spray grates with non-stick oil.
Trim and pat chicken breasts dry; season generously all over with salt and pepper. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil or parchment (for easier clean up); let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
While chicken is sitting, thinly slice 1 lemon crosswise into rounds; pluck out seeds. Place lemon slices in a small bowl. Add crushed garlic cloves and 1 Tbsp. oil and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Juice remaining lemon (you should have nearly ¼ cup). Tear or cut olives in half. Set lemon juice and olives aside.
Grill lemon slices (and smashed garlic cloves) turning once, until charred in spots, about 3 minutes total. Set aside.
Pat chicken dry again (the salt will have drawn out more moisture).
Grill chicken skin side up, 15–20 minutes covered. Turn chicken over (skin side down), cover, and continue to grill for 8-10 minutes. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should register 160° when inserted into the thickest part of the breasts. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 10–15 minutes.
Using your hands, pull chicken meat from bones and slice into ½” thick pieces as I did in above photo.
Place chicken on a rimmed platter, fanning slices. Scatter thyme sprigs, olives, and grilled lemon slices over the chicken. Season with more salt and pepper. Drizzle reserved lemon juice and remaining ½ cup oil over. Let sit at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving.

Notes

When working with raw chicken always use a separate cutting board and be sure to wash it and the counter thoroughly. I have a dedicated cutting board for chicken.

I’ve gotten picky about chicken brands lately. My favorites are Empire Kosher Chickens and Bell & Evans.

If you don’t have a barbecue, use a grill pan.

This is a great dish because it can be served cold or at room temp.

I love Castelvetrano olives. They aren’t like other olives. They are meaty and firm but not too salty. If you’re an olive hater, these babies may just change your mind about olives!

You’ll want to have lemon and olives with every bite of your chicken.

If you prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, the grilling time would be greatly reduced. Approximately 8-10 minutes on one side, and 3 minutes on the other (depending upon how well-done you like your chicken).

Recipe from Bon Appetit magazine with very slight modifications by me. Click here for the recipe.

If you like this chicken recipe, you should also try GFchow’s Spatchcocked Lemon Rosemary Chicken, Chicken Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayo, Spice-Rubbed Chicken with Lemon-Shallot Sauce, and Panko Crusted (GF) Chicken Breasts

GLUTEN FREE DISCLAIMER

The recipes you find here are considered by me to be gluten free. However, it is up to you to make sure the ingredients you use are gluten free. Whenever possible, I will list specific brands of ingredients that I use, but always be sure to check the labels yourself to verify the item is gluten free.