Name: Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Olives and Feta
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: GreekEurope
Ingredients: 4 split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts , (about 3 pounds) halved crosswise; Salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 small red onion , halved and sliced thin; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth; 1/2 cup pitted kalmata olives , halved; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (see note)

Why This Recipe Works

Few types of meat cook as quickly as boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and pan searing is easily the fastest method by which to cook them. With our Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Olives and Feta recipe, we wanted to find the perfect method for cooking the chicken and a quick Greek pan sauce to match. Cooking the chicken skin-side down for the entire cooking time ensured well-rendered and beautifully bronzed skin. As soon as the broth hit the pan, we scraped up the browned bits—called fond—with a wooden spoon. The fond added valuable flavor to the sauce. Purchasing a whole piece of feta and crumbling it just before serving lent our pan-seared chicken the best flavor. Precrumbled feta can be dry and bland. We waited to stir in the parsley until the very end. If the parsley cooks for too long, it loses its fresh flavor and vibrant color.

Before You Begin

We recommend using shrink-wrapped or brine-packed feta rather than precrumbled. You will need 2 ounces.

Instructions

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken skin-side down until well browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until chicken registers 160 degrees, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and tent with foil.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, olives, and any accumulated chicken juices and simmer, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with feta. Serve.