Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Feta Mashed Potatoes
This mouthwatering Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Feta Mashed Potatoes is a perfect, and easy dinner. Chicken thighs are browned, baked, and finished with a quick broil with an incredible lemon, garlic, herb, and olive oil sauce that will knock your socks off. This will be on your dinner rotation guaranteed. A bonus is that this finger-licking sauce can be used on other proteins and is equally scrumptious! And the saucier the sauce, the better! I serve this with simple Feta mashed potatoes and a four-ingredient tomato and parsley salad.
Table of contents
Why this will be a new favorite chicken dinner
Chicken is such a dinner staple in most households. It’s inexpensive and one of the most versatile proteins that fits into so many cuisines. This recipe uses dried spices like Rosemary, Thyme, Dill, and plenty of Paprika. There is garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, and juice to wrap everything up into a mouthwatering sauce. The plus is that the sauce can be used on fish like Cod, Swordfish, and even Salmon. It’s equally delicious on shellfish like shrimp and lobster.
While the chicken is baking, the potatoes come together quickly and the 4-ingredient salad is just as fast. If you don’t like potatoes, you can make a plain quick-cooking couscous or use one of our very complimentary couscous recipes like Lemon Thyme Couscous with Olives or Couscous with Caramelized Onions and Feta.
This recipe can be made healthier by substituting the side dishes. Each chicken piece comes in at 217 calories each. So even two portions plus a small salad and dressing can come in under 600 calories which is pretty great calorie-wise for so much flavor.
Ingredients
The majority of the ingredients for this Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Feta Mashed Potatoes are pantry staples (yay!) plus some fresh ingredients. I would like to note that I recommend using fresh, dried herbs this because it yields the brightest, most flavorful sauce. Dried herbs lose their flavor and potency as time goes on, so make sure your spices are fresh.
Mediterranean Chicken
- 2 pounds of chicken – boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry and sprinkled with salt on both sides.
- 3 scallions, thinly slice – green and white parts
- 2 teaspoons of paprika, powder
- 1 teaspoon of thyme, dried leaves
- 1 teaspoon of dill, dried leaves
- 1 teaspoon of rosemary, dried whole or crushed leaves
- Juice of half a lemon
- Zest of half a lemon
- 1/3 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp honey
- salt, kosher
- pepper
- Za’atar spice blend for to finish
- Fresh oregano leaves for garnish
Feta Mashed Potatoes
- 2 pounds of russet or Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
- 3 ounces of Feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 2 ounces of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley and Tomato Salad
- 1 bunch of flat leaf Parsley, washed and dried. Large stems removed and coarsely chopped.
- 1 large tomato, seeds removed, chopped
- Fresh lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Dried Spices: When to toss
Dried spices don’t typically have an expiration date and it’s one of those items we sometimes hang onto just a little bit longer than we should. Do they go bad? Not necessarily but they lose their flavor and potency. Dried herbs and spices should be bright in color and fragrant. Ground spices lose their potency the quickest- about 6 months. Whole spices can last up to 5 years depending on the type.
When should you replace herbs and spices? According to Livestrong, the general rule of thumb is about 1 year.
How to prepare Mediterranean Chicken with Feta Mashed Potatoes
When I use boneless, skinless chicken this recipe can be completed in 30 minutes. If you choose bone-in chicken, it may take a little bit longer than 30 minutes.
Prep
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a 4-quart pot, add potatoes and enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook until tender.
In an oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tablespoon over medium to medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces until a little golden brown. Once all the chicken pieces are browned, place in the oven on the middle rack for about 20 minutes to finish the cooking process.
While the chicken is baking, using a small bowl, add scallions, paprika, rosemary, thyme, dill, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, garlic, honey, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Now let’s move on to the parsley salad. In a medium-sized bowl, add chopped Parsley, tomato, about 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and some salt and pepper to taste. Adjust lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper accordingly and set aside.
The potatoes should be fork-tender. Drain the potatoes and place back in the pan. Mash the potatoes until they are almost completely mashed. Add, cream, feta, butter, olive oil and continue to mash until the potatoes are creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
Finishing the chicken
The chicken should be cooked through by now and golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, cover the chicken with the sauce. Start the broiler. Once the broiler is preheated, place the chicken back in the oven on the medium rack for 2-4 minutes. The sauce will heat through and the chicken will caramelize lightly and the sauce will mingle with the chicken. Remove from the oven. Place the chicken on a serving platter along with the sauce. Garnish with fresh Oregano leaves and sprinkle with Za’atar.
What to serve with this fabulous chicken dinner
The aromas from the heavenly chicken will be absolutely perfection with the Feta mashed potatoes. The parsley tomato salad is refreshing but not necessary. Serve with chicken pieces on top of the mashed potatoes and serve the salad on the side with a sprinkle of Za’atar.
You can add a vegetable or another type of salad like this Shaved Fennel, Cucumber and Celery Salad or Roasted Vegetable Quinoa with Feta and it will be delish!
Frequently asked questions, tips and substitutions
If you want to substitute the chicken for fish, bake the fish until almost done. Remove from the oven add the sauce to the fish and continue to bake until done. If you are using a sturdy fish like swordfish, it can be broiled but I don’t suggest it for tender fish like Cod.
This chicken can be grilled. I recommend grilling the chicken with just salt. When the chicken is done, place it in a cast iron skillet and add the sauce. Place the cast iron skillet on the grill and allow to heat through about 4 minutes and remove from heat.
No, but I like to get the chicken as golden and crispy as possible. It can go straight in the oven for baking and then finish it off with a quick broil.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. Enjoy!
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Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Feta Mashed Potatoes
February 14, 2024Ingredients
Mediterranean Chicken
- 2 pounds of chicken – boneless skinless chicken thighs, patted dry and sprinkled with salt on both sides.
- 3 scallions thinly slices – green and white parts
- 2 teaspoons of paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon of thyme dried leaves
- 1 teaspoon of dill dried leaves
- 1 teaspoon of rosemary dried whole or crushed leaves
- Juice of half a lemon
- Zest of half a lemon
- 1/3 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp honey
- salt kosher
- pepper
- Za’atar spice blend for to finish
- Fresh oregano leaves for garnish
Feta Mashed Potatoes
- 2 pounds of russet or Yukon potatoes peeled and cut into large cubes
- 3 ounces of Feta cheese crumbled
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 2 ounces of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley and Tomato Salad
- 1 bunch of flat leaf Parsley washed and dried. Large stems removed and coarsely chopped.
- 1 large tomato seeds removed, chopped
- Fresh lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a 4-quart pot, add potatoes and enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes until tender.
- In an oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tablespoon over medium to medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces until a little golden brown.
- Once all the chicken pieces are browned, place in the oven on the middle rack for about 20 minutes to finish the cooking process.
- While the chicken is baking, using a small bowl, add scallions, paprika, rosemary, thyme, dill, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, garlic, honey, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
- Now let’s move on to the parsley salad. In a medium-sized bowl, add chopped Parsley, tomato, about 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and some salt and pepper to taste. Adjust lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper accordingly and set aside.
- The potatoes should be fork-tender. Drain the potatoes and place back in the pan. Mash the potatoes until they are almost completely mashed. Add, cream, feta, butter, olive oil and continue to mash until the potatoes are creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
- The chicken should be cooked through by now and golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, cover the chicken with the sauce.
- Start the broiler. Once the broiler is preheated, place the chicken back in the oven on the medium rack for 2-4 minutes. The sauce will heat through and the chicken will caramelize lightly and the sauce will mingle with the chicken.
- Remove from the oven. Place the chicken on a serving platter along with the sauce. Garnish with fresh Oregano leaves and sprinkle with Za’atar.
- Serve with chicken pieces on top of the mashed potatoes and serve the salad on the side with a sprinkle of Za'atar.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated online and should be used as a guide.
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
