Lemony Greek chicken thighs is an easy, one pan chicken dinner recipe, made easily in less than an hour. Succulent chicken thighs, cooked with mixed Greek olives, lemon slices, fresh oregano with feta cheese!
A few weeks ago I shared a delicious Irresistible Lemon-Garlic Chicken Thighs recipe. It’s simple, savory, succulent and sublime. I know I’m not alone in my thinking based on your comments and emails! Thank you for that as I’m venturing a similar recipe today I equally adore: One Pot Greek Chicken Thighs. It’s another mouthwatering dish that takes little effort and includes sautéed onions and potatoes making it a full meal bursting with flavor.
Braised Lemony Chicken Thighs
I have always love chicken thighs whether roasted, grilled, or pan fried but I don’t think I’ve ever loved them more than in a braised dish. Gently seared, rendering a crisp skin then lavished with mixed olives, lemon slices, fresh oregano in chicken broth, baked to perfection. The most difficult part? A bit of stirring and flipping the chicken thighs over while searing.
I will confess; I’m not an olive lover. I’ll eat them from time to time in a cooked recipe, but I’m not one who buys them to pop in my mouth like candy. Their flavor is distinct and one that has taken a long, slow courtship for me to allow them to sidle up to my favorite flavors like the sunny lemon or even the salty feta cheese that’s tossed in this dish at the end. For me, they are a bit like that questionable party guest that will turn out to be the missing element making the gathering complete, or ‘at risk’ for tipping the balance out of harmony. They lend a subtle depth of flavor to the broth and chicken that is sophisticated and rustic at the same time.
Another beauty of braised dishes like this is they require very little prep time and are complete within an hour’s time. Ten minutes of initial attention is all that is needed to set this dish up and you can enjoy dinner 40 minutes later. Who can complain about that?!
Serve with some homemade Tzatziki sauce on the side!
How to Make One Pot Lemony Greek Chicken:
To make this recipe, you will need a heavy bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven.
One Pot Greek Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in skin-on Chicken Thighs (all similar size for uniform cooking time)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 6 Garlic Cloves , peeled and diced
- 1 large Yellow Onion , peeled and sliced
- 1 Lemon , unpeeled and thinly sliced (remove any seeds)
- ½ cup Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Chicken Broth/Stock
- 1 cup Mixed Pitted Greek Olives
- 2 tablespoons fresh Oregano Leaves removed from stem
- 1 pound Fingerling Potatoes , halved lengthwise if large in size
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the chicken thighs and pat dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper both sides of the thighs and set aside.
- In a 3 ½ quart braiser (or a Dutch oven or large heavy skillet with lid), heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. When it is shimmering, place the chicken thighs skin side down into the pan. Gently move the thighs while cooking to ensure the skin does not stick to the pan and pull off the chicken when flipped over. Flip over after 5 minutes and cook for more 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions. Sauté until onions are limp; approximately 4 minutes. Add the garlic and lemon slices, and sauté 2 more minutes.
- Raise heat back to medium-high and add the chicken stock and lemon juice (be careful of any hot splattering of the liquid). Scrape the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula to release any pan drippings into the liquid. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken thighs back into the pan (skin side up) as well as the olives, oregano and fingerling potatoes. Cook, covered, for 35 minutes. The final temperature should register 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
- Optional: To crisp the skin, place the pan underneath the broiler for 1-2 minutes (be sure to watch that chicken skin does not become over done) before removing from the oven.
- Serve the chicken thighs with a side of potatoes, drizzled in some of the pan sauce.
Onica {MommyFactor} says
I haven’t tried making chicken in a one pot before. This recipe looks delicious and something new to try.
Kiwi says
Great recipe! I love anything lemon and chicken combo!
Rosey says
Glad to hear I’m not the only one who isn’t really an olive lover (gasp). 😉 I do like the recipe, I bet my oldest three kids would tear it up!
Crystal says
My dad is Greek and loves food that reminds him of his childhood. This is going to be such a nice meal to prepare for him!
Amy @ Marvelous Mommy says
Yum! We’re having chicken thighs tomorrow for dinner. I’ll give this recipe a try!
Kim Croisant says
When I first saw the dish, I thought those white things were feta cheese – I’m sticking to it as I think that would be good too!!! I love all ingredients but have never put them all together like this. Thanks!