Lunch / Dinner
Greek Salsa Chicken
Full of vivid colors and Mediterranean flavors, this chicken dinner brings the tastes of summer to any season.
A dish wouldn’t be Greek without traditional ingredients like feta cheese, kalamata olives, and lemon. But sometimes tradition needs an infusion of New World style, like in the form of a salsa. Make the salsa as the chicken roasts, or assemble it hours ahead and chill it. It will be delicious either way, but making it early gives the flavors time to mingle so it tastes even better.
Pan-roasting — searing on the stove top, then finishing in the oven — is the ideal way to cook bone-in chicken breasts. Sauté them for color, then move to the oven to slowly roast in their own juices. This way they develop flavor without drying out.
To serve, top the chicken with the salsa. Residual heat melts the cheese a bit and releases flavor from the herbs.
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN, SAUTÉ:
FOR THE SALSA, COMBINE:
Test Kitchen Tips
For an even quicker dinner, sauté boneless, skinless chicken breasts with the lemon slices, about 12 minutes, turning once. Serve the breasts with the Greek salsa.
If you don’t have a roasting pan, you can brown the chicken in a large ovenproof skillet, then simply place the pan in the oven to finish cooking.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450° with racks in top and bottom positions.
Sauté chicken in oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat until browned, 5 minutes. Flip chicken and squeeze lemons over browned side, then nestle lemons around chicken in pan. Roast chicken on top rack until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170°, 45 minutes.
For the salsa, combine feta, tomatoes, olives, lemon juice, ½ cup oil, parsley, and oregano in a large bowl; season with pepper. Serve chicken with salsa and lemon wedges.
A roasting pan goes from stove top to oven, so you can brown and roast the chicken all in one pan.
To add more flavor, squeeze lemon juice over the chicken, then place wedges in the pan before roasting.
You can make the salsa hours ahead and chill it. This gives the flavors time to meld, making it even better.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 540
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 39g 60%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 135mg 45%
Sodium 801mg 33%
Carbs 7g 2%
Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 40g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.