When it’s time for a quick weeknight meal thin sliced chicken breast is one of my go-tos! In this recipe for chicken with green olives, a quick dredge in flour keeps the meat tender and the gremolata sauce gives it amazing WOW factor!
Hello, all!
In keeping with my New Year’s resolution to make more healthy, quick and delicious meals to share with all of you, I bring you my latest chicken recipe! 30 minutes, tender meat, and big punch of flavor are all going to put this recipe in your steady rotation.
What is gremolata?
Okay, so what is gremolata? I’m glad you asked! š It is an Italian herb sauce, which at its simplest is made with three ingredients – parsley, lemon zest, and garlic.
Here I’ve added a few more flavors – orange zest, shallots, and green olives; and I’ve made it a sauce by adding lemon and orange juices along with white wine. So, while the base of my recipe is inspired by the classic gremolata, consider my recipe to be a variation on the theme.
What do you need?
- Chicken Breast – You can use thin sliced and keep it simple, or use regular sized breasts and slice each one into two cutlets
- Green Olives – Any pitted, unstuffed olives* work in the recipe
- Garlic/Shallots – A little of each, all diced up
- Parsley – Only fresh!
- Citrus – You can go with just lemon or orange or a mix of both
- White Wine – Or vermouth! Just a bit either way to make the sauce
*I used pitted Castelvetrano olives
How to make this
To make chicken with green olives in a gremolata sauce, dredge the breast in flour and pan fry until browned and cooked through. Then make a quick sauce from garlic, shallots, parsley, citrus, and white wine. Serve chicken and olives with the sauce.
1. Cook the Chicken
Start with thin sliced breast meat, either premade at the store or do it yourself with good, sharp knife. Once you have it, season it well with kosher salt and black pepper. Doing this directly to the meat (instead of mixing the seasonings in the flour) means it will be properly seasoned.
Then dredge in flour – all-purpose, rice, corn, these are all good! Rice or corn flour will make the meal gluten-free.
Now heat the oil in your skillet and add the chicken. Fry, turning about once a minute until it is cooked through and golden brown.
Tip: Keep turning the meat. This will allow the outside to get well browned before the center of the meat finishes cooking and starts to dry out. This is the same technique I use with my pan seared steak.
2. Make the Sauce
As soon as the meat is done, be ready to make the sauce! It’s quick and easy so long as you do the prep work ahead of time. Everything should be chopped, organized, and ready to go.
The skillet is going to be very hot, so take it off the heat to start and add the garlic and shallots. A minute off heat should be enough, then back on to finish cooking them.
Next add the wine and bring it to a boil. Cook and reduce.
Now add the rest of the ingredients and heat it all through. Nothing here really needs to be cooked, just hot. And off the heat again to add a little softened butter. This will make the sauce all thick and glossy.
Tips for Juicy Chicken Breast
I have a few tips (all of which I used in the recipe) for making the best, tastiest, juiciest chicken breast.
- Season the Meat – This is the first thing I do when making the recipe. Sprinkling on the kosher salt and black pepper makes sure the meat is seasoned and not bland. Have some extra time? Let it sit for 40 minutes before you start cooking.
- Coat the Meat – There is an immense improvement between chicken put naked into the skillet and that which has been dredged in flour. The flour protects the meat and makes all the difference.
- Turn the Meat – It takes time for the heat of the skillet to get to the middle. By turning the pieces frequently you allow hot sides to cool off a bit while searing the other side. On every piece of meat I’ve tried this technique, I ended up with nicely browned outsides and evenly cooked insides. In this case, it means it won’t be dry so long as you pull off once it is up to temperature.
More Weeknight Chicken Dinners
- For more 30 minute meals with breast, try my Penne Alla Vodka with Chicken and Chorizo or my Mediterranean Chicken with Olives and Oranges. Both are full of bright, fresh flavors and have simple prep.
- Or maybe you want fast thighs? Then you’ll love Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs Dijon. Start on the stovetop and finish hands off in the oven.
- If you have a little more time (still just 40 minutes), try my Creamy Chicken and Artichokes or Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Veggies (easy cleanup!).
If you try my recipe for Chicken with Green Olives, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Chicken Breast with Green Olive Gremolata
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 lb thin sliced chicken breast
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or cornstarch
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
Green Olive Sauce
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp orange juice, optional
- 2 tsp citrus zest, lemon or orange or mix of both
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 lemon, cut into slices
Instructions
Chicken
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Then dip each piece in the flour (or cornstarch) to coat it.
- Set a large skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan.
- Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add the chicken.
- Cook for about 6 minutes, turning once a minute, or until it is browned and cooked through, about 160F. Add more oil as you are cooking if the skillet gets dry.
- Once it's done, remove to a plate and tent with foil. Take the skillet off the heat.
Green Olive Sauce
- Add the shallots, garlic, and olives to the skillet. Return the skillet to the heat on medium.
- Saute for about 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the white wine and increase the heat to bring it to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.
- Then add lemon (and orange) juice, citrus zest, and parsley. Heat through.
- Take the skillet off the heat. Swirl in the butter, stirring constantly until it is melted and the sauce is glossy.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and coat with the sauce. Top with lemon slices and serve.
Notes
- Brining: If you have extra time, let the meat sit after salting it for 40 minutes to 1 hour. (You can leave it on the counter.) This will allow the salt to brine the meat.
- Citrus Juice and Zest: You can use all lemon or all orange or use a mix in the recipe.
- Timing: It's best to get all the sauce ingredients prepped before starting the recipe.
- Chicken Breast: If you wish to use standard breast, cut two breasts down the middle into 4 thinner pieces. If needed, pound the pieces until they are about 1/4 inch thick.
- Olives: Any unstuffed pitted green olives will work in the recipe. I used Castelvetrano olives.
- Gluten-Free: For a gluten-free version use cornstarch as the dredge instead of wheat flour. Alternatively, you can use rice flour (lighter than cornstarch) or your favorite gf flour mix.
Nancy Teeter says
This recipe requires a bit of prep, but the time flies once you start cooking. It is worth every minute of the prep time because the results taste like you are dining in a fine Italian restaurant.
Jonsi says
Tried this recipe last night. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Picky husband who hates bits of onions said it was really good! Prep time took a bit longer than anticipated but it couldāve been because the kids were distracting haa. I wasnāt sure if the olives would be too overwhelming but after they cooked down the flavors married so well with the chicken. A wonderful comfort dish that doesnāt feel too heavy but has simple layers of flavor. I added a bit of bacon grease to the olive oil before adding in the chicken and an extra tablespoon of butter & extra pinch of salt to satisfy our tastebuds. I usually avoid cooking chicken breast because for whatever reason Itāll be too dry. This was moist & tasty! Paired it with asparagus sautĆ©ed in evoo & bacon grease and lightly seasoned brown rice. This dish will go in the monthly rotation. Family approved.
justalittlebitofbacon says
I’m glad you all enjoyed it! Chicken breast can be tricky though I find dredging makes a huge difference. As for the timing, I might have been a little optimistic on how long it it took to make! (It goes quicker once I’ve made something a few times.) š