one pot chicken with olives, capers and chickpeas
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Servings
4 (or 6 with two extra thighs)
this one-pot chicken is boneless thighs roasted on a bed of soft onions, garlic and chickpeas, then piled with briny green olives, capers, lemon and cumin and finished under the broiler. it feeds four, it's in and out of the oven in about 40 minutes, and the whole trick is spooning the pan juices over the chicken while she broils.
why this dish works
two really big yellow onions do ALL the heavy lifting here. they sweat down in a quarter cup of olive oil until they're sweet and a little golden, and that becomes the bed everything else sits on. Then, you add the garlic and chickpeas, and build the rest right on top.
the oven works in two phases: lid on at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes, then lid off under the broiler for 10 to 15. that second part is where the basting comes in. every spoonful of lemony, cumin-y juice you pour back over the chicken helps it caramelize, and it's the step that makes this taste like you worked WAY harder than you did.
ingredients for one pot chicken with olives, capers and chickpeas
short list, mostly pantry. pitted green olives (I used ones with pits because I was lazy) and capers bring the salty, pickle-y flavor. canned chickpeas (yes, canned, permission granted) soak up every drop of olive oil. and one teaspoon of ground cumin right on the chicken gives the whole pot a warm, toasty vibe. the only equipment is a medium dutch oven with a lid (you can also use a medium baking dish and cover with parchment or tin foil).
what to serve with it
she's saucy, she's briny, and she goes well with many things. fluffy white rice, couscous or grilled sourdough. that juice at the bottom of the bowl is not going down the drain on my watch. I also eat it on its own and just drink up the sauce if there is any left.
faq
can I make this for six people?
yes. the four thighs I used were on the bigger side, which is why this feeds four. for six, add two more thighs and keep every other quantity exactly the same. there's plenty of onion, chickpea and olive in the pot to stretch. just make sure to season every piece of chicken the same way.
do I need the parsley?
nope. it's a nice fresh hit on top if it's already in your fridge, but this is completely great without it. no special trip to the store required.
Ingredients
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2 large yellow onions, finely sliced
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1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided in two
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1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning the chicken
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cracked black pepper to taste
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3 garlic cloves, crushed
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1 (398 ml) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
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4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
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¼ heaping cup capers, drained
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1 cup pitted green olives
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1 lemon
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1 teaspoon ground cumin
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fresh parsley, for serving (optional)
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fluffy white rice, couscous, or grilled sourdough, for serving (optional)
Directions
preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil in a medium dutch oven over medium heat. add the onions, season with 1 tsp kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste. cook about 5-10 minutes on medium high until golden all over and caramelized in places.
add the garlic and chickpeas and give a good mix, then place the chicken on top.
cover the chicken with the capers and olives. season generously with salt and pepper, squeeze over the lemon juice, drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and sprinkle the cumin over the chicken.
cover and roast for 25 minutes.
remove the lid, turn the oven to broil for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden on top, basting the chicken with the pot juices a couple times during this process.
serve immediately and straight from the pan. top with parsley if you want and eat immediately.