This Mediterranean Chicken dish can be made quickly in a pressure cooker, but just as easily in a slow cooker or on the stove top. Light but full of flavor, it’s an easy dish that comes together quickly.
Some days, time just flies and I don’t know where the time has gone. This happened just the other day when I looked up at the clock and realized I had just 30 minutes to get dinner ready before heading out the door to one of my son’s cross country race. I had planned on making this Mediterranean Chicken recipe, but it was written up as a slow cooker recipe.
As I scanned through the recipe while waiting at the bus stop for my little guy, I knew my new pressure cooker was going to have to save me. That’s one of the biggest advantages to a pressure cooker – a recent discovery – it can shave half the cooking time off almost any recipe. My kids think I’m a bit obsessed with my pressure cooker. I’ve been trying some of my favorite crockpot recipes using the pressure cooker like Bolognese Sauce, Cuban Black Bean Soup, and Turkey Black Bean Chili, and amazed by how quickly these dishes comes together.
I made a few modifications to the recipe, adding some red wine for extra depth of flavor, using boneless skinless chicken thighs to reduce cooking time, and adding fresh garlic and dried thyme to the dish. This chicken dish reminds me of Pasta Puttanesca, and came together quickly. Not only was I able to feed two of my kids dinner before I rushed out the door to the cross country meet, but this chicken dish reheats really well so I was able to feed my son dinner as soon as he walked in the door from his cross country meet.
Mediterranean Chicken with Olives Capers and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives pitted
- 2 tablespoons capers rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
- fresh lemon zest
Instructions
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Season both sides of thighs with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in 5-quart pressure cooker. Add onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary, and saute until onion is softened, 3-4 minutes. Add chicken pieces and lightly brown on both sides. Add red wine and reduce, about 2-3 minutes. Add olives, capers and tomatoes. Cover and bring to high pressure; cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Quick release pressure cooker. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with fresh lemon zest.
Pressure Cooker Instructions
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Heat olive oil in 5-quart pressure cooker. Add onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary, and saute until onion is softened, 3-4 minutes. Add chicken pieces and lightly brown on both sides. Add red wine and reduce, about 2-3 minutes. Add olives, capers and tomatoes. Cover and bring to high pressure; cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Quick release pressure cooker. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with fresh lemon zest.
Slow Cooker Instructions
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Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary, and saute until onion is softened, 3-4 minutes. Add chicken pieces and lightly brown on both sides. Add red wine and reduce, about 2-3 minutes.
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Transfer everything from skillet to slow cooker. Add olives, capers and tomatoes. Cook on low setting for 8 hours or on high setting for 4 hours. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with fresh lemon zest.
Stove Top Instructions
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Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary, and saute until onion is softened, 3-4 minutes. Add chicken pieces and lightly brown on both sides. Add red wine and reduce, about 2-3 minutes.
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Add olives, capers and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered for 30-35 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with fresh lemon zest.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Cooking Light
Feel free to substitute your own favorite herbs or herb blends.
One of these days, I need to add a pressure cooker to my kitchen arsenal. (I think Breakfast at Tiffany’s put too much fear in me over exploding dinner flying in the air, LOL!) Excellent recipe and a life saver when time crunched to prepare dinner. Thanks for sharing! Pinned!
Stacy – I’ve been thinking about getting a pressure cooker for years and finally got one. I had the same fear about food exploding all over the kitchen. Fortunately, the technology has changed and there are lots of built in mechanisms to keep it safe. I have to say I’m a bit obsessed with my new pressure cooker and making everything in it lately, from soups, sauces and chili to this chicken dish.
The pressure cooker is a pretty amazing thing! And it’s almost like the polar opposite of a slow cooker! This stew you made looks absolutely delicious. Love those mediterranean flavors!
Joanne – I love my slower cooker too, but it is fun having a kitchen appliance that does the complete opposite. I’ve been having fun making everything in my new pressure cooker – makes getting dinner on the table so much easier on busy school nights.
What a scrumptious recipe, Jeanette! The flavours sound wonderful and love how quickly it comes together. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Nancy – this dish is really easy, great for a busy school night.
Do you have an alternative cooking method? I don’t have a pressure cooker. Thank you! This looks delicious.
Oops! I saw your directions for crockpot! Thank you!
Perfect Fall dinner Jeanette!
Thanks Alyssa – with the weather turning cooler, I’ve been making more braised dishes.
I haven’t used a pressure cooker in a long time but you have me wanting to pull it back out!
lovely dish and authentic mediterranean flavors in it makes us crave for some now 🙂
Time truly does fly by, I almost can’t keep up somedays. What a fantastic recipe that is so full of flavor, I love how easy it is to make. Yum, Hugs, Terra
Terra, I really can’t believe how quickly the past several years have gone. Trying to slow time down – would love a time machine to turn the clock back a few years.
Just mouthwatering….looks delicious!
Thanks Kalyan – hope you have a chance to try this recipe!
This recipe is right up my alley! I can’t wait to make it.
This Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers is completely up my alley, Jeanette. I would devour every bite. 🙂
I can not stand the taste of capers rosemary and thyme, can they be substatuted with something else?
You said it can be made on the stove top where’s the recipe directions for stove top recipe?
Hi Alice, you can leave out the capers, rosemary and thyme. Substitute your favorite herbs or herb blends such as dried oregano, or Italian seasoning. I added stove top directions to the recipe – basically the same thing as pressure cooker, but cook for 30 minutes on the stove.
Help!! … I’m totally new to this mediteranian diet thing I need a just for dummies instructions. ????… I don’t have a pressure cooker. I need stove top directions please
Hi Alice, I’ve added stove top directions in the recipe.