This Mediterranean hen recipe stars tender hen breasts baked with cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, lemon, and feta for a wholesome one-pan dinner. Cooked in simply half-hour!
Right here’s a one-pan recipe that’s shiny and daring with no difficult steps or hard-to-find substances: my baked Mediterranean hen! After creating Mediterranean food regimen recipes for years and lately testing tons of for my upcoming Mediterranean food regimen cookbookI’ve been hooked on dinner concepts with zingy flavors and minimal dairy.
What makes this Mediterranean hen recipe work is the layers of taste: the cherry tomatoes burst right into a shiny sauce, the Castelvetrano olives add richness, and the capers make salty pops. It’s so scrumptious, every time I make it for dinner it disappears in a flash!
Components You Want
This recipe is easy; the secret’s within the mixture of contemporary substances:
- Boneless, skinless hen breasts: Search for breasts which can be roughly the identical dimension so that they cook dinner evenly. You’ll pound them to a good thickness to make sure the meat stays juicy whereas the greens roast.
- Olive oil: Used each for the greens and brushing the hen.
- Spice mix: My customized spices create layers of Mediterranean taste with none contemporary herb prep.
- Cherry tomatoes, shallot, garlic: These type the vegetable base and
- Lemon slices: As they roast, the lemon releases oils and infuses citrusy taste all through.
- Castelvetrano olives and capers: This sort of buttery, gentle Sicilian olives are my favourite for cooking: Castelvetranos add richness with out overwhelming the whole lot else. Capers present bursts of tangy brightness.
- Feta cheese: Only a trace of feta makes a wealthy, salty garnish, however it’s not required for the flavour.
Professional Suggestions for Excellent Mediterranean Hen
Listed below are a couple of methods for making this recipe:
- Pound the hen evenly. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to softly pound every breast till it’s roughly the identical thickness all through. That is key for baked hen as a result of completely different thicknesses cook dinner at completely different charges.
- Watch the broiler rigorously. These remaining 2 to 4 minutes below the broiler are when the magic occurs: the hen these good charred spots that aren’t doable with baked hen. Each broiler is completely different: set a timer and peek by means of the oven door often.
- Let it relaxation. That is one thing I realized from my husband Alex: letting the hen relaxation for five minutes permits the juices to redistribute. It actually does make for moister, extra flavorful meat!
This recipe suits right into a Mediterranean food regimen meal plan as a result of it’s go contemporary greens, makes use of olive oil as an alternative of butter, and depends on herbs and spices for taste as an alternative of heavy sauces. It’s additionally naturally gluten-free and simply dairy free with out the feta.
Methods to Serve It
The sauce that develops on the backside of the pan is nice for serving alongside, although it’s finest to take the items of hen out of the dish with a slotted spoon. The greens make a type of pure vegetable facet, however for a filling meal I often serve this with:
For an entire Mediterranean food regimen meal, begin with simple stuffed dates and end with contemporary fruit or one other Mediterranean food regimen dessert. This hen additionally pairs nicely with different Mediterranean food regimen recipes in the event you’re meal planning for the week.
Recipe Variations to Attempt
Listed below are a couple of methods to customise this recipe when you’ve tried the unique model:
- Greek-style: Use contemporary dill as an alternative of parsley for garnish and extra feta cheese.
- Italian: Tear up some contemporary mozzarella and add it over the past 5 minutes of baking. End with contemporary basil.
- Spicy: Add ½ teaspoon pink pepper flakes and add sliced pepperoncini to the vegetable mattress.
- Artichokes: Stir in 1 cup quartered marinated artichoke hearts with the opposite greens.
- Protein swap: This system can work with different proteins. Attempt salmon fillets (bake for 12-Quarter-hour) or boneless hen thighs (bake for 25-28 minutes).
Storage and Reheating
Retailer leftovers refrigerated for as much as 4 days. To reheat, use a coated skillet over medium low warmth with a splash of water or broth.
I’ve not examined this particularly, however you possibly can freeze the hen for as much as 3 months: the vegetable texture would change into softer after freezing.
Leftover hen could be nice on a sandwich the following day on ciabatta with some arugula (and possibly garlic aioli?). It’s additionally nice chopped and tossed right into a grain bowl with farro.
Dietary Notes
This Mediterranean hen recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free with out the optionally available feta cheese.
Baked Mediterranean Hen
This Mediterranean hen recipe stars tender hen breasts baked with cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, lemon, and feta for a wholesome one-pan dinner. Cooked in simply half-hour!
- Prep Time: Quarter-hour
- Cook dinner Time: 20 minutes
- Whole Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Class: Essential Dish
- Methodology: Baked
- Delicacies: Mediterranean
- Weight-reduction plan: Gluten Free
- 4 boneless, skinless hen breasts (about 8 ounces every)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt
- Freshly floor black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 massive shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small lemon, thinly sliced into rings (seeds eliminated)
- ¼ cup ripe inexperienced olives (like Castelvetrano)
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
- 1 teaspoon every garlic powder, onion powder, ssmoked paprika, dried oregano, and dried tarragon
- Freshly floor black pepper
- 1 oz feta crumbles, optionally available
- Recent chopped parsley or basil, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Transfer an oven rack to the higher third of the oven to assist with the ultimate broil.
- Pat the hen breasts dry with paper towels. Utilizing a kitchen mallet or rolling pin, calmly pound the thick finish of every hen breast till they’re roughly the identical thickness all the best way throughout, about ¾-inch thick. This ensures they cook dinner evenly alongside the greens.
- In a 9 x 13″ baking dish or massive rimmed baking sheet, stir collectively the halved tomatoes, sliced shallot, minced garlic, lemon slices, olives, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, oregano, 2 teaspoons kosher saltand contemporary floor black pepper. Brush the pounded hen breasts with 1 tablespoons olive oil, then rub the spice combination generously over either side of the hen.
- Nestle the seasoned hen breasts on prime of or snugly between the greens and feta within the baking dish. Bake for 18 minutes.
- Flip the oven to Broil on excessive. Broil the pan for two to 4 minutes, conserving a detailed eye on it. The hen ought to develop golden brown edges, however watch out to not burn the garlic. The hen is finished when the inner temperature reaches 165°F.
- Take away from the oven and let the hen relaxation within the pan for five minutes to permit the juices to redistribute. Garnish with contemporary parsley or basil and feta crumbles if desired. Add hen to a plate and use a slotted spoon to take away some veggies to serve alongside.
