January – Greek Chicken

This low calorie, vegetable heavy, colorful casserole is just what is needed during the grey days of winter. It’s a riot of colors and flavors, quick and simple to make and perfect for company. All you need is some crusty bread and a green salad, your dinner is complete. You can even assemble the dish ahead of time and bake it in the oven at the last minute.

Customize it to your tastes. The first time I made it I left out the onions and black olives, it was delicious. If you want dairy free, don’t add the crumbled feta at the end. It’s still absolutely delicious and even better for lunch the next day.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 each red, orange and yellow peppers cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 pint of multicolored cherry tomatoes, leave whole
• 3-4 small zucchini, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 red onion, cut into 8 sections
• zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons, save juice for the end
• 1 large sprig of fresh oregano (leaves chopped) or 1 – 2 teaspoon dried
• 1 large sprig of fresh rosemary (leaves chopped) or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• About 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (salts have a differing amount of ‘saltiness’)
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 small package of frozen artichoke hearts or canned artichoke hearts, defrosted if necessary (optional)
• 1/2 cup of pitted kalamata olives (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons of fruity olive oil (do not use if on the Metabolic Diet)
• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta (optional)
• Fresh parsley, chopped to garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine all the ingredients plus the juice of one lemon (except the feta if using) above in a large bowl and mix well. If not on the diet, add the olive oil and mix again.
3. Pour into a large casserole dish and bake (uncovered) for about 40 minutes for thighs or 30 for breasts.
4. Crumble the optional feta on top and give the dish a good squeeze of the lemon

You can assemble this a few hours ahead, cover and store in the fridge.

 

I have also made this with bone in chicken thighs (skin on or off). Ingredients are the same. Put the chicken thighs, skin side up, in a large shallow casserole. Sprinkle them with salt. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, mix them with the herbs and lemon zest, pour around the thighs. Bake for about 40 minutes.

I think the folks at Fiesta Friday #313 will enjoy this. Fiesta Friday is hosted by Angie, it’s a virtual collection of blog posts about cooking, gardening, and crafts. Click on the link to read all the amazing things that are going on in the world of blogging.