Mediterranean Diet Chicken Thigh Recipes: A Flavorful and Healthy Choice

The Mediterranean diet, known for its health benefits and delicious flavors, emphasizes whole foods, healthy fats, and lean proteins. Chicken thighs, a juicy and flavorful cut of poultry, are a great fit for this diet. They can be prepared in a variety of ways, incorporating classic Mediterranean ingredients like olive oil, herbs, vegetables, and lemon.

Why Chicken Thighs?

Many people automatically go for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but don’t sleep on chicken thighs. The thigh is the juiciest, most flavorful cut you can get. Chicken thighs lend themselves well to stovetop cooking because they become juicy and tender in as little as 20 minutes. And they’re very forgiving: they remain tender even after even with a long simmer, like for soups and stews.

Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Thighs: A Simple Sheet Pan Dinner

These Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Thighs are simple, in that they’re a one sheet pan dinner recipe. Basically what that means is that you can place everything on a baking sheet, just one baking sheet is all you need, and then pop it into the oven and forget about it for a while. 40 minutes later, you’ll have a flavorful dinner without any of the effort or all those dirty dishes! Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Thighs are a baking sheet pan dinner dream, and it's incredibly easy to make. Filled with flavor and perfect for any night!

Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on or boneless, skinless)
• Olive oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• Onion
• Bell pepper
• Garlic
• Potatoes
• Artichoke heart
• Tomatoes
• Capers
• Kalamata olives
• Spices: salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, cumin, coriander, rosemary
• Optional garnishes: fresh lemon juice, feta cheese, parsley

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) or 450 degrees F.
2. Prepare the vegetables: On a large baking sheet, toss together the onion, bell pepper, garlic, potatoes, artichoke heart, tomatoes and capers with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, red pepper flakes, and half of the oregano until evenly combined. Shake the pan so that everything is in a single layer.
3. Season the chicken: Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the chicken things on top of the veggies, spacing them out evenly on the baking sheet. Drizzle the chicken with the remaining olive oil and season with the remaining salt, pepper and oregano.
4. Roast: Roast until the chicken has begun to brown on top, and the veggies have softened, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with kalamata olives. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to cook for 10 minutes longer. The chicken should register 165 degrees F with a thermometer.
5. Rest and garnish: Remove the pan from the oven let the chicken rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh lemon juice, feta and parsley.

Marbella-Inspired Chicken Thighs: A Flavorful Marinade

If you’re looking for a simple boneless chicken thigh recipe, this dish is like a dumbed down Marbella (which is already pretty easy!). Kalamata olives, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, white wine and rosemary bake together with the chicken to create the most flavorful sauce from pantry ingredients. You can make it ahead of time, but there’s no pre-marinating required!

Ingredients:

• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Kalamata olives
• Dijon mustard
• Red wine vinegar
• White wine
• Rosemary
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare the marinade: In a large mixing bowl or a 9×13 baking dish, combine the vinegar, Dijon, olive oil, garlic, salt, and rosemary.
3. Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken and kalamata olives and swish the meat around until coated in the marinade. Transfer the baking dish to the oven, or alternatively, marinate the chicken overnight, covered.
4. Bake: Pour the white wine into the pan and season the chicken lightly with salt. Bake until the chicken is cooked through.

One-Pan Roasted Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

You guys love easy chicken recipes. I fully realized this fact when I posted this one-pan roasted lemon chicken recipe a while back and The Woks of Life readership went crazy for it. Since then, I’ve been dreaming up new ways to cook entire meals using just one pan, and this Mediterranean Chicken Thighs recipe may just be the best idea yet. It uses the same basic concept as that recipe. You roast chicken and potatoes in one pan for a complete meal (maybe with a salad on the side). You only need about 10 ingredients for this recipe, many of which you probably already have in your pantry. You just sear the chicken thighs quickly in your roasting pan, placed right on your stove.

Read also: A Review of the Mediterranean Diet in Kidney Disease

Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Red peppers
• Capers
• Garlic
• Oregano
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
2. Sear the chicken: Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a roasting pan on the stove over high medium high heat, and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Sear the chicken skin-side down until lightly golden.
3. Add vegetables: To the roasting pan with the chicken, add the potatoes, tomatoes, red peppers, capers, garlic, and oregano. Season everything with a bit more salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle with a few more tablespoons of olive oil.
4. Roast: Roast in the preheated oven until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Olive Oil and Lemon Marinated Chicken Thighs

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.

Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Mediterranean spice mixture (cumin, coriander, oregano, rosemary, etc.)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Marinate the chicken: Rub the chicken thighs with the Mediterranean spice mixture. Marinate in a mixture of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and lemon juice for at least 20 minutes (the longer the better).
2. Sear the chicken: Sear the chicken thighs on both sides until golden perfection.
3. Bake: Finish by baking in the oven until cooked through.
4. Drizzle: Drizzle with more olive oil, lemon, and fresh garlic before serving.

Greek Sheet Pan Chicken: A Vibrant and Flavorful Dish

This Greek sheet pan chicken recipe is a quick and easy dinner but so vibrant and flavorful. I was once called the “sheet-pan queen” while testing recipes for my first cookbook. I wear this title as a badge of honor! I’ll admit a sheet-pan dinner’s main selling point is its convenience: One pan, 45 minutes, and a complete meal is on your table. Like my sheet-pan chicken sausage or our whole roast spatchcock chicken, the pan does all the work for you. That’s the beauty of a sheet-pan recipe, generally speaking. What’s special about this Greek sheet-pan chicken in particular is the sauce. Here, the oregano, garlic, and lemon dressing coats the chicken and veggies while they roast. This sheet pan chicken is an easy weeknight dinner that’s loud and full of personality.

Ingredients:

• Chicken thighs
• Red onion
• Bell pepper
• Zucchini
• Kalamata olives
• Castelvetrano olives
• Feta cheese
• Ladolemono sauce (lemon juice, oregano, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven: Position a rack in the middle of your oven and heat it to 425°F.
2. Make the ladolemono dressing: In a medium mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper and whisk vigorously to combine. While whisking, drizzle in the olive oil and continue whisking until emulsified.
3. Coat the veggies: On a large sheet pan, spread the onions, zucchini, bell pepper, and tomatoes. Season well with salt and pepper, then pour about 1/4 cup of the sauce all over the veggies. Toss to coat, then spread the vegetables out so they are all touching the surface of the pan.
4. Add the remaining ingredients: Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Nestle the chicken, olives, and chunks of feta in between the vegetables and drizzle with the remaining ladolemono sauce, making sure the chicken especially is covered with the sauce.
5. Bake: Bake on the center rack of your heated oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes. For more color, transfer the chicken to the top rack about 6 inches away from the broiler. Broil for a couple of minutes, watching closely to make sure the chicken and vegetables gain some color but do not burn.
6. Finish and serve: Remove from the oven and spoon the pan juice all over the chicken.

Other Mediterranean Chicken Thigh Recipe Ideas:

• Braised Chicken Thighs with Figs and Apricots: Seasoned with Mediterranean herbs and slow-cooked in a red wine sauce with dried figs and apricots.
• Chicken Shawarma: Marinated in a shawarma spice mixture (cumin, coriander, turmeric, and paprika) and cooked in a skillet or baked.
• Chicken Thighs with Cilantro Lime Sauce: Bone-in chicken thighs cooked in a flavorful cilantro lime sauce until crispy on top and fall-apart tender.
• Sheet Pan Chicken with Chickpeas: Earthy and bright flavors with heart-healthy chickpeas for an added nutrition boost.
• Lemon Chicken: Ready in just over 20 minutes, seasoned with lemon and Mediterranean herbs.
• Grilled Chicken Thighs: Marinated in Mediterranean herbs, spices, and aromatics and grilled until tender and juicy.
• Harissa Chicken Thighs: Coated in a bold North African condiment that loads the chicken with a complex flavor- slightly sweet, spicy, smokey, and citrusy.
• Chicken Kebabs: Marinated in garlic, citrus, and Middle Eastern herbs, and cooked on the grill or in the oven.
• Chicken Stew with Pomegranate Molasses and Walnut Sauce: Slowly simmered in a pomegranate molasses and walnut sauce until fall-off-the-bone tender.
• Skillet Chicken Shawarma: Juicy, flavorful, and can be served in a variety of ways, made without any special equipment in under 30 minutes!
• Honey Dijon Chicken Thighs: Coated in a honey Dijon sauce and placed directly in the oven.

Tips for Cooking Mediterranean Chicken Thighs:

• Use high-quality olive oil: Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a staple in Mediterranean cooking and adds great flavor and health benefits.
• Don't be afraid to use herbs and spices: Mediterranean cuisine is known for its bold flavors, so experiment with different herbs and spices to find your favorites.
• Marinate the chicken: Marinating the chicken will help to tenderize it and infuse it with flavor.
• Cook the chicken to the correct temperature: Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
• Get the skin as crispy as possible: I do this by baking them at a hot temperature (450 degrees F) and covering them in my olive oil and dry spice mix paste before putting them in the oven.

The Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean eating pattern has caught on in recent years, but in fact it was back in the 1960s that researchers discovered fewer people dying from coronary heart disease in Mediterranean countries like Greece and Italy than in the United States or Northern Europe. Mediterranean-style cooking includes a lot of vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fish. What I love too are all of the phytonutrient-packed herbs and spices used in this area of the world, including: basil, cilantro, chives, fennel, garlic, mint, onion, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, saffron, za’atar, etc.

Fat is one of three macronutrients our bodies need for energy and to help us absorb certain nutrients as well as to provide cell structure and warmth. Foods contain three different types of fat: triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols (e.g., cholesterol). Triglycerides are the most talked about type of dietary fat, probably because 95% of the fats we eat are triglycerides. We are often taught that saturated fat is “bad” and that unsaturated fats are “good,” but the reality is a bit more nuanced. The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than around 5-6% of our daily calories from saturated fats. If you are eating around 2,000 Calories a day this means about 120 calories from saturated fat or 13 grams. For reference, one of my Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with skin is about 5 grams of saturated fat. Saturated fat is a problem in the average American diet because of the ubiquity of heavily processed and fast foods, not necessarily because of what people are cooking at home. One way to tell if a fat is saturated or unsaturated is to look at its consistency at room temperature. If a fat is solid at room temperature then it is probably saturated. Typically, saturated fats are derived from animal sources while unsaturated fats are derived from plant sources.

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