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These Olive Oil Chicken Thighs are rubbed with a Mediterranean spice mixture, then marinated in a mixture of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and lemon, then seared to golden perfection on both sides, and finally finished by baking in the oven and then drizzled with more olive oil, lemon, and fresh garlic.
If you’ve ever wondered how to elevate a simple chicken dinner, I’ve got a perfect recipe for you.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – a staple in the kitchen
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a staple in my kitchen – I go through it by the gallon. For some reason when my supply goes low, it makes me uneasy. If you follow this blog then I’m sure you’re aware that I use it all the time. I marinate meats in it, and I also use it to cook meats, fish, and roast vegetables. I also add it to salads, soups, stews, etc…
So, I listen to a lot of food-related podcasts and I often hear hosts asking their guests the simple question: ‘What’s one thing that you wouldn’t be able to live without in your kitchen?’ For me, without hesitation, the answer is…Extra Virgin Olive Oil!
But for me, the quality of the extra virgin olive oil is of utmost importance.
Elevate a simple chicken dinner with this Olive Oil Chicken Recipe
We eat a lot of chicken at my house. My husband and my two little boys simply can’t live without it. If you cook chicken often, you know it has the possibility of getting a little boring. That’s why I enjoy coming up with new recipes to make it interesting.
Using Olive Oil in this chicken recipe elevates a simple chicken dinner to a new, sophisticated level. For this recipe, I used the olive oil 3x:
- First, I marinated my chicken thighs in Mediterranean spices, lemon, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil;
- Then I pan-seared the chicken on the light, cooking olive oil;
- And finally, I finished the dish with a mixture of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, lemon, and fresh garlic.
Marinating is a crucial step. You should do this for at least 20 minutes (the longer the better). All the spices with lemon/olive oil mixture add a ton of flavor to the dish.
Now, you could just roast this chicken in the oven, but in my opinion, searing it in the skillet first creates a beautiful crispy, golden brown skin on the top (which is simply irresistible).
The last part of this recipe may surprise you… I chopped fresh garlic, added fresh lemon juice, and more Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I finished the dish by coating with this mixture. This makes this chicken so bright and vibrant that you’ll almost feel as though you’re eating a salad.
As a matter of fact, you can serve it with some lettuce leaves, or chopped tomatoes, and then simply drizzle this mixture on them as well.
Or, you could just add some salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to whatever veggie you decided to add to your plate. Whatever you decide to do, the addition of Extra Virgin Olive Oil will help you serve a stunning dish that everyone will be raving about.
A shortlist of ingredients
Below you will find a printable recipe with exact measurements and instructions. Here I just wanted to give you a quick list of ingredients that you should gather before making this Olive Oil Chicken:
- Skin-on, bone-in, chicken thighs (I like using organic ones);
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil;
- Light Cooking Olive Oil;
- Lemons;
- Fresh Garlic;
- Spices: Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Cumin, Nutmeg, and Coriander;
- Parsley for garnish, and a side of vegetables of your choice to serve.
It’s that simple! Obviously, it’s the olive oil that’s used throughout this recipe that really distinguishes this dish. Try this Olive Oil Chicken Mediterranean Style recipe and let me know what you liked about it the most.
Other Chicken Recipes to try:
Oven Roasted Chicken Legs (Thighs and Drumsticks)
Slow Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters
Chicken Chasseur (French Hunters Chicken)
Chicken Normandy with apples and cream
Olive Oil Chicken Thighs Mediterranean Style
Ingredients
- 8 Chicken Thighs
- 2 tbsp Cooking Olive Oil to sear the chicken
- Freshly chopped Parsley, to garnish.
Marinade:
- 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 tbsp Lemon Juice
Spice mixture:
- 2 teaspoons Sweet Paprika
- 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon grated Nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Pepper
Finishing sauce:
- 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 tbsp Lemon Juice;
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
Instructions
- Place the chicken either in a dish that can accommodate all the pieces or in a ziplock bag;
- In a bowl, combine all the spice mixture ingredients and mix well;
- Rub the chicken with the spices all over;
- In a separate bowl, combine olive oil with lemon juice;
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and distribute evenly to make sure that all the pieces are well covered with the spices and the marinade;
- Marinate the chicken in a refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, or up to 8 hours;
- Preheat your oven to 350F;
- Preheat an oven-proof skillet and once hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil;
- Add the chicken, skin side down, and do not move it for 7-8 minutes (until nicely seared and browned);
- Flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes;
- Transfer the skillet into a hot oven and cook the chicken for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature shows 165F;
- Carefully remove the skillet from the oven (using oven-proof gloves);
- Place the chicken on a serving plate and spoon over the finishing sauce on all the chicken pieces;
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve with your favorite side dish.
Nutrition
This post was originally posted on October 25, 2018, and was since updated and republished.
Perfect recipe! This recipe is very flavorful! Love easy to make recipes that taste great
Thank you Kasey!
I really love this recipe! It caters to all of my cravings for chicken thighs (my fav!) and Mediterranean cuisine. It’s the ultimate comfort food! Thanks for the recipe…sharing!
Thank you Tracy!
This is my kind of meal! My family would love this!
Thank you Jessica
Those bottles of olive oil are beautiful! I don’t eat chicken anymore, but when I did the thighs were always my favorite.
Thanks Denisse
I love cooking with chicken thighs and am always looking for new recipes using them. This recipe looks so delicious!
Thank you Marlynn
I made this last night and it did not disappoint! My family loved it!!
Great! I’m so happy to hear this 🙂
Love, Love this recipe❣️ I’m new to Mediterranean cooking and must have have this once a week. The flavors, the texture and the finishing. Thank you for sharing❣️
Thank you so much!
Curious if I cut the amount of lemon used in half would it still taste just as good? I technically shouldn’t even have that much, but the rest of the recipe sounds delicious 😋
You can try. I can’t really tell you how this will taste as I did not try cutting any of the ingredients. I hope it will still taste good.
Are you using bonless chicken thighs?? If not, could you?
Thanks
I use chicken thighs on a bone. If you use boneless, they will cook much quicker.
Very flavorful! My kids loved it! I enjoyed the sauce with the garlic.
This was delicious. Flavorful and moist. My family loved it.
I wanted to add to my comment but can;t find an edit button. Anyways, I sprinkled a little freshly ground Himalayan salt to the chicken. I also crisped the chicken skin for about 1 more minute after I took it out of the oven.
We loved the finishing sauce> I also added a pinch of salt in the sauce. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe.
Made this tonight and it was a hit with the family… Thanks for a keeper.
Do you sautéed the garlic at the end or use freshly chopped garlic? Going to make this tonight!
I use fresh garlic.
It looks like grated cheese is on top in thehoto. If so what kind is it?
Thanks can’t wait to make them!
It’s not cheese. That’s garlic.
Best chicken recipe of its kind I have tried yet. Thank you for your expertise. We loved it!