1-skillet Greek Chicken Thighs
I love entertaining, but I don’t love being stuck in the kitchen while my guests fend for themselves. That’s where this amazing 1-Skillet Greek Chicken Thighs recipe comes in. It’s packed with big, meaty thighs and authentic Greek flavors, and it’s simple to make. Aways impressive and never a lot of work, this easy chicken recipe is perfect for entertaining or just a weeknight dinner!
Loaded with affordable chicken thighs, Kalamata olives, tangy feta cheese, fresh tomatoes, and authentic Greek herbs and spices, this delicious meal is stunning, and you won’t believe how easy it is to make!
1-skillet Greek Chicken Thighs
With the exception of browning the chicken, this is a meal, so once it’s in the oven, you’re done! Prep this dish ahead of time, make a salad or some orzo to go with the dish, pop it into the oven, and you’re done! This easy chicken recipe leaves plenty of time to mix and mingle with your guests.
Read more: 1-skillet Greek Chicken Thighs
I love using meaty bone-in and skin-on thighs for this recipe. They’re so affordable and easy to work with, and this recipe can be doubled if you’re feeding a crowd.
You can also prep most of it ahead of time and just put it in the oven about 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat. It’s that simple!
Why I love this recipe
- This recipe tastes way more expensive than it is! Just use great-quality olives and feta, and no one will know it’s affordable!
- It’s easy to prep ahead of time and just bake before serving.
- Good enough for company, this recipe is easy enough for weeknight dinners – it’s just that versatile!
Gather these ingredients
- Chicken thighs – 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. About 2 pounds.
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh oregano – Chopped fresh oregano, plus some extra whole leaves for garnish.
- Lemon zest – From a fresh lemon.
- Olive oil
- Cherry tomatoes – Cut in half.
- Kalamata olives – Look for pitted olives, and rinse the salty brine off them before using.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic, chopped.
- Feta cheese – About 4 ounces, crumbled.
How to make this Greek Chicken Thighs recipe
- Preheat your oven to 425-F and set your oven rack to the upper third of the oven.
- Combine the salt, pepper, chopped oregano, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Sprinkle this over the chicken thighs.
- Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken skin-side down until well browned, about 10-12 minutes.
- Turn the heat off, scoot the chicken to the side of the pan, and remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Flip the chicken over so it’s skin-side up.
- Surround the chicken with the tomatoes, olives, and garlic. Ensure the chicken’s skin isn’t covered with tomatoes or olives.
- Bake the chicken at 425-F until the chicken reaches 165-F with a digital meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and top the chicken with the crumbled feta and oregano leaves.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tips & substitutions
- You can use boneless chicken thighs or even chicken breasts, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.
- You can often find fresh oregano in the produce section of your grocery store. If you can’t find fresh oregano, you can use 1 tablespoon of dried oregano.
- Grape tomatoes or even diced tomatoes can be used in place of cherry tomatoes. Use what you have!
- If your chicken starts to get too brown, tent the pan loosely with foil while it’s in the oven. If it’s not brown enough, brown it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes before serving.
- The pan juices are delicious! Spoon them over rice, orzo, or potatoes, or whatever you’re serving with your chicken.
Serving suggestions
This 1-skillet Greek Chicken Thigh recipe is delicious on its own or paired with other authentic Greek dishes like this famous Greek Peasant Salad or this Greek rice salad. You can serve your chicken with simple rice, orzo, couscous or pasta, or jazz up your meal with this complementary creamy mushroom orzo dish.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Check out these awesome chicken thigh recipes while you’re here
- Lemongrass Chicken Thighs
- Apricot-Greek Yogurt Chicken Thighs
- Paprika & Sweet Potato Chicken Thighs
- Honey Soy Baked Chicken
Get the Recipe:
1-Skillet Greek Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, plus leaves for topping
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs , (about 2 lbs.)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pt. cherry tomatoes, each cut in half
- ½ cup rinsed pitted kalamata olives
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped garlic
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425-F and set your oven rack to the upper third of the oven.
- Combine the salt, pepper, chopped oregano, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Sprinkle this over the chicken thighs.
- Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken skin-side down until well browned, about 10-12 minutes.
- Turn the heat off, scoot the chicken to the side of the pan, and remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Flip the chicken over so it’s skin-side up.
- Surround the chicken with the tomatoes, olives, and garlic. Ensure the chicken's skin isn’t covered with tomatoes or olives.
- Bake the chicken at 425-F until the chicken reaches 165-F with a digital meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and top the chicken with the crumbled feta and oregano leaves.Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
This morning I feel that you are talking directly to me. I did send out an invitation for a luncheon two weeks from now. Thank you Sandy.
I think the one thing that holds me back is the size of my home. It is very small and can only accommodate 4 at my kitchen table comfortably. I do not have a dining room. In the spring and fall it is a little easier as we have a large deck with table chairs and plenty of room. But, the problem with that is, if the weather turns out rainy or too hot or too cool, we have to move inside and there again – small house and not a lot of room. I do have my family over a lot though, with family we can put up t.v. trays, card table and move into the living room and sun room. I also have older furnishings and my home is not fancy. I can feel intimidated when I go to other friends and family homes because it is not only small but simple. I really need to do more inviting though and stop using excuses. I need to be thankful for my home and use it to bring God glory and show His love to others. Your blog encourages me to do this!
That’s awesome, Beth. It sounds like you do a great job and I love the TV tray idea! Perfect!
Thanks, Beth. Always love to hear how you make hospitality work in your home … even with only 4! I’m sure it’s encouraging to others as well. :)
yum!! Lookin’ good.
For us, the main thing is time, with hubby’s new job he often isn’t home till after 6:00, sometimes later and it’s never a for sure, so we’d have to do weekends, which we could, we just haven’t, though we did meet friends for breakfast sunday morning in portland which was wonderful. The other thing is in the last year we had some circumstances which had us leaving the church we’ve been in for years (hence the job change for hubby), and many that we thought were “friends” have just seemed to drop us off the friendship grid. So at the moment it feels as though friends are few and far between and it makes us ask “wow, what were those friendships really based on? Agreement or did they go deeper? apparently not.” which is sad. Hubby is not a huge social person so it’s hard to just invite “new” people over for him.
BUT we do often go to my inlaws and between us and them we will find people to invite over, either ones that we haven’t seen in awhile or ones we are trying to reach out to.
Ugh. Sounds like a rough season, as you’re sorting through “real” friendships. I’ve heard this happen to a lot of people, so you are not alone. I bet it’s a matter of time and you’ll rebuild what was lost! Hang in there, friend!
It’s great that you go to your inlaws and find a way to invite people there. There are so many styles of hospitality that work, it’s great to hear. Lots of people have been burned, it’s good to talk about it, forgive, and then move on! Thanks for sharing Kirstin!