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Archives for October 2019

Skillet Chicken with Lemon, Artichokes, Olives & Bacon

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Now that the weather has turned cooler, I find myself wanting richer and more complex meals.

We have been buying six pastured chicken breasts per week, and I have been throwing them in a brine overnight. They are so delicious and tender when brined! You could just oven bake them or throw them in the instant pot.

But here I have a dish that is so delicious I wished I had doubled the recipe. It’s moist, tender chicken, smothered in a rich lemony sauce. The fats from bacon and olives give the dish a heartiness that is perfectly suited to the juicy and tart lemon. The herbs give it an earthiness to keep it all tamed. All in one skillet for easy clean up!

Feel free to play around with the ingredients, or leave any out. Cooking should be playful, fun and NOT STRESSFUL!

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Skillet Chicken with Lemon, Artichokes, Olives, & Bacon

Prep

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Inactive

Total

Yield 6 servings

This recipe is FULL of flavor and would make excellent leftovers, so go ahead and cook 'em up! The use of pantry staples (olives, artichokes) makes this dish come together super quickly and in one skillet!

Brining the chicken isn't a deal breaker, but it's HIGHLY recommended. Brining tenderizes the chicken, so you have more leeway for cooking-- no more tough, dry chicken!

Brine: 1/2 cup kosher salt in 6 cups of water. Let salt dissolve, and add chicken breasts. Brine for AT LEAST an hour, or up to 12 hours. 

 

Ingredients

  • 6 boneless SKIN-ON chicken breasts (pastured, organic if possible)
  • 6 slices nitrate-free bacon, rough chopped 
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 small jar pitted green olives
  • 1 can artichoke hearts, drained
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 T dried oregano
  • 1 T Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
  • cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. (I use a convection oven.)
  2. In a large skillet, brown the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside. Leave drippings in pan.
  3. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper (the brine adds salt so you don't need a lot!). Brown chicken skin-side down in the bacon grease until nicely browned, maybe 3 mins. Remove chicken to a platter and set aside. (Chicken will not be cooked at this point.)
  4. In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 8 mins. Add a pinch of salt.  
  5. Add lemon juice, olives and artichokes to the pan and stir. Place chicken breasts on top of the vegetables and bake in the oven about 25 minutes, or until a thermometer registers about 145-150 degrees in the middle of the chicken breasts. 
  6. Remove from oven, and lightly tent with foil. 
  7. When ready to serve, sprinkle with chopped bacon and serve with pan juices. 
  8. Enjoy!

Courses Main Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean