Chicken & Olive Casserole
Submitted by emcginniss
Golden-browned chicken simmered with zucchini, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and briny green olives. A rustic Mediterranean one-pot meal served over white rice.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
60 minREADY
80 minThis is the kind of one-pot meal that belongs on a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. Chicken pieces browned golden in olive oil, then slow-cooked with fresh tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, and herbs until the sauce thickens and the meat practically falls off the bone.
Green olives go in during the last ten minutes, just long enough to warm through and release their briny, peppery flavor into the sauce without losing their firm bite.
Serve it over plain white rice and let the sauce do all the talking. Simple ingredients, slow cooking, enormous flavor.
Pro Tips
- Brown the chicken well before simmering. That golden crust isn’t just about looks. It builds a fond on the bottom of the pan that dissolves into the sauce and deepens the whole dish.
- Reduce the tomato sauce before adding the chicken back. Frying the tomatoes and zucchini until some liquid evaporates concentrates the flavors and prevents a watery final dish.
- Rinse the olives before adding. This removes excess brine so they add flavor without making the casserole too salty.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces until golden brown.
Remove and reserve chicken.
In the same oil, fry the onion and garlic until they start to turn soft.
Add the zucchini, tomatoes, oregano and thyme.
Continue to fry until some of the sauce has been reduced.
Replace the chicken in the pan and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Cover and cook over a low heat for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
10 minutes before the chicken is ready, rinse the olives and add them to the pan.
Stir well and cook with the rest of the ingredients.
Serve with white rice.
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