Mediterranean Chicken Sauté

This paleo Mediterranean Chicken Sauté is richly flavored with lemon, tomatoes, capers, black and green lives, garlic, and herbs for a tantalizing, gluten-free dinner recipe! Ready in under 30 minutes and prepared in just one pan, this recipe is as easy to prepare as it is delightful to eat. {Paleo}

Capers + olives + lemon + tomatoes, and all of a sudden, standard chicken isn’t so boring anymore. There’s something about a Mediterranean dish that just makes me salivate. I am ALL IN for briny flavors. You’ll find me at the meats and cheeses table before you’ll find me face-deep in dessert trays. Chips and dip ARE my dessert, my main course, too, if I can justify it and the people around me aren’t allergic. Side note: 3 out of 4 of us residing in the Spirited home are allergic, and I’m not one of them. 

Truthfully, I’ve wanted to create a simple Mediterranean recipe for ages. However, I could never find a way to combine my favorite elements into a recipe that didn’t also involve elaborate baking and several pans. That’s a fresh no from me. Whatever the final result, I knew it would have to be savory, simple, and satisfying. This Mediterranean Chicken Sauté ticks all of those boxes and then some.

I have to laugh because I got inspiration from the Food Network for how to throw everything together. I didn’t even see who wrote the Mediterranean Chicken recipe I discovered. Turns out it’s Wendy Wilson and Carnie Wilson! Hold on for one more daaaaaaay!!!!!!! This recipe, however, I suspect WILL go your way. 🙂

Basically, you’ll get your sauté pan out and cook the chicken, adding garlic, lemon, black and green olives (because we aren’t heathens), capers (because we aren’t a mild people – give us flavor or leave us be), and tomatoes. About the most difficult part of this recipe is reducing the amount of liquid that pools in the pan after the chicken is cooked through. I use a spoon to scoop out the liquid so the sauté doesn’t wind up watery. And then I add in a little olive oil or coconut oil to keep the recipe from becoming too dry. Works like a charm.

We are loving on this gluten-free Mediterranean chicken recipe right now because it’s just a tad different than other chicken recipes we’ve tried. And while I was a little worried about how cooked olives would taste, I can now confidently say they are flavory. Whatever hang-ups I anticipated are long gone, and now I don’t know why I didn’t sauté olives sooner. They are utterly fab.

Do you have your sauté pan ready? Because you are going to salivate when the smells start wafting through your kitchen. And then dinner will be ready, and all will be right with the world.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN SAUTÉ INGREDIENTS:

The ingredients below complement each other in this savory, satisfying Mediterranean dish!

• Chicken. For an evenly-flavored sauté, cut into cubes or strips.
• Olive oil or coconut oil. Either will work here.
• Sea salt, garlic salt, and onion powder. Add just a little of each to flavor the chicken.
• Lemon. I use two tablespoons of juice and then throw in a sliced fresh lemon with seeds removed. This double step is totally worth it.
• Garlic. Freshly pressed.
• Olives. Black and green – I leave mine whole to prevent the sauté from becoming mushy.
• Capers. These are simply a must. You can usually find them near the vinegars and olives in the grocery store.
• Tomatoes. I go for grape tomatoes and leave them whole.
• Oregano, dried (or fresh) parsley, and black pepper. Each adds just an extra burst of flavor. So delish!

HOW TO MAKE MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN SAUTÉ:

Below are the steps to make your own Mediterranean Chicken Sauté. I work with one large pan, and it does the trick!

1. In a large sauté pan, melt the oil and then add the sea salt, garlic salt, and onion powder. Stir them together and add the chicken. Cook on a medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink. If necessary, briefly cover the pan with a lid to steam-cook the remaining undercooked pieces.
2. Once cooked, use a spoon to scoop out excess liquid so only enough liquid remains to cover the bottom of the pan. Then add a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil to prevent burning. Next, add the lemon juice, sliced lemon, pressed garlic, and olives. Cook for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat.
3. Stir in capers and tomatoes and cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until the tomatoes are heated through and become shiny.
4. Stir in parsley, oregano, and black pepper and serve while the sauté is still warm.
5. Refrigerate leftovers and consume within about 2-3 days.

VARIATIONS:

• Try Kalamata olives. Honestly, mix and match whichever olives strike your fancy because there’s a good chance they’ll work really well in this recipe.
• Slice or leave whole. I like leaving the olives and tomatoes whole so they don’t turn to mush as they cook. If you want them to cook a little more or release their juices into the sauté (especially the tomatoes), then slice away. Keep an eye on their consistency so they don’t overcook.
• Use coconut oil OR olive oil. Olive oil is great for Mediterranean dishes, however, coconut oil pairs well with chicken and acts as a coating agent that holds all the other ingredients in. 

If you’re into briny, Mediterranean flavors, then you might also enjoy:

• Marinated Greek Olives
• Olive Tapenade
• Mediterranean Zucchini Noodle Pasta.

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