Baked Mediterranean Chicken
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Mediterranean chicken is a one pan baked chicken recipe. Thanks to a quick chicken marinade, the chicken breasts are tender and full of Greek flavor.
Baked chicken is one of the easiest meals to make, especially when everything cooks in one dish like this one. Plus, it’s quick!
Including the time to marinate the chicken, your dinner will be on the table in only 45 minutes.
I have several baked chicken dinners that I prepare the same way, but they have different flavors. If you like easy dinner solutions, be sure to check out my recipes for Tex Mex baked chicken and baked Greek chicken too!
Mediterranean Chicken
It only takes a handful of ingredients to make Mediterranean chicken, but the ingredients add vibrant Greek flavor. Here’s what you’ll need to make the dish:
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Feel free to use boneless skinless thighs if you prefer the dark meat.
- Fresh spinach– I use baby spinach, but you can use full size leaves if you want to.
- Artichoke hearts– These come in a jar or can and are found in the condiment aisle.
- Tomatoes– Because they are virtually seedless, I prefer to use tiny, teardrop grape tomatoes. Any color or variety of small tomatoes will do the trick.
- Black olives– If you use olives from a can or jar, be sure to drain them.
- Feta cheese crumbles
- Crushed red pepper flakes– Just a small pinch will give you an extra punch of flavor.
For the Chicken Marinade
- Olive oil
- Fresh lemon juice– 2 regular size lemons will be plenty
- Minced garlic– Fresh garlic will give you more flavor, but for convenience, minced garlic is available
- Spices– All you will need are kosher salt, black pepper, and dried oregano.
Is it necessary to marinate chicken?
Now, maybe you’re wondering if you need to marinate chicken breasts. The answer depends on how much flavor you are willing to miss out on.
It won’t take you longer than 2 minutes to make the chicken marinade. Plus, the marinating takes place while you’re prepping the other ingredients. As a result, you aren’t going to gain much time by not marinating, and the flavor it brings to the chicken will not disappoint!
Recipe Video + Instructions
Want to see how simple this dinner is to make? Just watch the video located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
The complete instructions are shown in the recipe card below. This is just a guideline.
- Preheat your oven.
- Prepare the chicken marinade by whisking the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
Then, transfer it to a large zip top plastic bag, add the chicken breasts, and close the bag. Give it a quick massage and toss the bag into the fridge while you prep the other ingredients.
- Arrange the chicken and vegetables into a greased casserole dish.
- Bake until the internal temperature of the chicken at its thickest point is 165 degrees F.
Serving suggestions
The only thing missing from this meal are some grains or potatoes. The Greek flavors pair perfectly with sides like rice or tabbouleh.
I think my wild rice pilaf is a great choice, but everyone loves zesty 4 bean salad, too!
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Mediterranean Chicken w/ Marinade + Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (See Note 1)
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- 15.5 oz artichoke hearts drained
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 14.5 oz black olives drained
- 8 oz feta cheese crumbled
Marinade
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 lemons juiced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients: olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, kosher salt and pepper.
- In a or bowl sealable plastic bag, add the chicken and marinade. Toss to coat or squeeze air out of bag and seal. Massage chicken with marinade and refrigerate while prepping vegetables.
- Place the spinach in a rectangle 9×12" casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray or olive oil and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.
- Layer the chicken breasts on top of the spinach. Sprinkle the artichoke hearts, baby tomatoes, black olives and marinade on top of and around the chicken.
- Bake covered for 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. (See Note 1)
- Remove from oven and add feta cheese crumbles to each piece of chicken. Put it back in the oven, uncovered for 5 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing or serving.
Video
Notes
- If chicken breasts are too thick, slice in half horizontally and pound between sheets of plastic wrap for even thickness. For best results, use an instant read thermometer, the chicken is cooked when it reaches internal temperature of 165°F.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Kevin – have the chicken marinating right now for dinner but I forgot the spinach!! Can I use fresh asparagus instead?? Love your recipes! Thank you!
Answering my own question! Used asparagus and chicken thighs and otherwise stayed true to this fabulous recipe! My husband actually moaned it is THAT good!! These are difficult times but easy, comforting recipes like this make sharing a meal something really special. Thank you, Kevin – you’re just awesome. Blessings!
A deliciously healthy meal my family is sure to enjoy Kevin! Pinned and excited to try.
Brilliant!
Talk about a flavour loaded recipe! This looks delicious, Kevin! Perfect for a weeknight dinner or entertaining with friends!
Hey Kevin, I love receiving your email and making dishes that you share with us. They are always full of flavor, taste and healthy. This dish looks wonderful and I plan to make it next weekend. I am thinking, I could make this with shrimps as well, just need to cut down cooking time. Please advise. Thank you very much.
Thanks Gyan! I would make the recipe as is except do not add the marinated shrimp to the pan, just vegetables. After marinating them place them in a covered bowl and set aside. Follow recipe instructions, drizzling marinade over vegetables and bake. In last 6-8 minutes (depending on size of shrimp) of baking, add the shrimp to the vegetables and continue baking with feta crumbled on top. Hope that makes sense. 🙂