Mediterranean Salted Chicken and Olives

Succulent chicken bake that is as flavourful as it is easy! Salt the chicken overnight for optimal flavour, and add our favourite Middle Eastern spices. Throw in some fresh olives and garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and bake to crispy perfection. Hungry yet?

We are always cooking chicken! It is so versatile and loved by every member of my family, that we can’t really go wrong. I also love the feeling of sitting down to dinner in front of a big dish of chicken with rice or potatoes, and just enjoying a hearty meal. I’m usually starving by dinnertime, so if it isn’t hearty it ain’t gonna work!

For the past couple weeks(hello, recipe testing!), I’ve been making easy Thai Cashew Chicken, and Shoyu Chicken on repeat. For the weekend, I wanted to do something different, with more grounding Middle Eastern Flavours. That means- olives, lots of garlic, paprika and turmeric! Turmeric has so many health benefits and is also just a gorgeous colour.

For this chicken, we’ll start with a salt bath. This step is essential and adds the perfect “extra” flavour to the dish- it’s like lightly salted to the bone in a really yummy way without being overly salty. Ideally, just add your chicken and a salt bath to a container and pop it in the fridge the night before so it can really soak, but if you’re short on time or want to make this for dinner tonight(I get it!), you can soak the chicken the day of, at a minimum of three hours.

When you’re ready to bake, simply place the chicken in a casserole dish(we love this red one), pat it dry, and drizzle with some good quality olive oil.

Add all your spices and rosemary to a little dish and give it a mix. Sprinkle the seasoning on the chicken, and give it a nice lil’massage on both sides.  Now arrange your olives and garlic underneath the chicken- this helps the chicken not to burn on the bottom. 10 cloves might seem like a lot of garlic (hey, this Chicken Skillet has 20!), but it will soften and be the most delectable buttery thing to smear on your potatoes, so just trust me okay?!

Then all your going to do is bake and baste! The skin crisps up, and everything just works- Salty olives, creamy garlic, soft chicken. Such an easy flavourful dinner!

We hope you love this Salted Chicken like we do! Share a photo on Insta and tag estee_bestie if you make it, and don’t forget to share a photo of  your finished dish before digging in!

Lots of love, Estee.

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Mediterranean Salted Chicken and Olives

Estee

Soft salted chicken with Mediterranean spices, buttery garlic cloves, and lots of olives! The perfect one-dish dinner.

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Cook Time 1 min

Total Time 1 min

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  

• 4-6 bone-in chicken thighs/ drumsticks(we do a mix)
• 2-3 cups water, to cover chicken
• 3 TBS Coarse salt
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup green olives, pits removed

Instructions

 

• Place chicken in a large container(that has a lid), cover it almost fully with water and sprinkle in 3 Tbs of coarse salt. Cover with a lid and let it sit overnight in the fridge or for a minimum of 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 390F(200 C). Remove the chicken to a casserole dish and pat it dry. Drizzle with olive oil. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, rosemary, garlic powder, salt, and turmeric. Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the chicken, and rub it into both sides. Push the chicken to the side of the dish, and cover the bottom of the dish with olives and garlic cloves. Arrange the seasoned chicken on top of the garlic- this ensures the chicken won't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Bake at 390F(200 C) for 1 hour and 15 min., or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crispy. Remove the chicken from the oven and spoon over the juices and olives from the bottom of the pan. Serve hot.