Simple Olive Chicken Bake

When I first started blogging, I posted recipes to coincide with the comical short story in my memoir anthology about how I learned to cook. The anthology is no longer available, but I hope to re-release it after we move. (If you missed the news about the move, you can find it here) In the mean time, I thought I’d release a new recipe of mine. If you like chicken, and you like deliciously briny Greek olives, you will like this easy recipe. Keep in mind, I cook for two so add ingredients accordingly for more people.

1/2 stick of butter
1 Tbls spoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
8 to 10 Pitted Greek Olives – you’ll have to find them in your local grocery store. I buy these (below) that say “Sicilian,” because it’s what’s available here.
1/4 cup Feta cheese crumpled

Four thin cut boneless chicken breasts (for this demo I made three)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Oregano to taste
Toothpicks to hold together chicken rolls

Add any vegetables you’d like to bake with it. For this demo I used zucchini, grape tomatoes and potatoes. Potatoes need to be cooked half way before using them in this recipe, though. I cut them up then put them in water to cook in the microwave for five minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dice olives and feta together in a pile.

If boneless chicken breasts are not very thin, I recommend pounding them flat in saran wrap first. Then spread the olives & feta mixture flat over each chicken breast.

Roll each breast up like a jellyroll and hold together with toothpicks. Place in pan alongside any other vegetables you prepare to cook with the chicken.

Put half-stick butter in a microwave-safe cup or bowl. Drop in minced garlic and then melt butter in microwave. After melted, toss in tablespoon of olive oil. Dribble butter & oil mixture over chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano to taste. Be careful with the salt on the chicken, because the olives provide a nice blend of saltiness into the meat.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. And, viola! You have an entire meal cooked in one pan.