Description
Mediterranean Chicken Zucchini Bake- Delicious blend of chicken, zucchini, tomatoes, olives, feta, and Mediterranean spices for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1½ pounds (680g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 medium zucchini (about 1½ pounds/680g), sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 1 pint (300g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- 6 ounces (170g) feta cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup (10g) fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional: ¼ cup (35g) kalamata olives, pitted and halved
Instructions
- Step 1: Prepare Your Ingredients Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). While the oven heats, slice your zucchini into uniform ¼-inch rounds and place them on paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt and let sit for 15 minutes to draw out moisture. Meanwhile, cut chicken thighs into 2-inch pieces, halve the cherry tomatoes, and thinly slice the red onion. Mince your garlic and measure out your herbs and spices.
- Step 2: Make The Marinade In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper until well combined. This Mediterranean-inspired marinade will infuse your chicken and vegetables with incredible flavor.
- Step 3: Combine Everything Pat the zucchini dry with paper towels. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken pieces, zucchini rounds, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced red onion. Pour the marinade over everything and gently toss until all ingredients are evenly coated. This ensures every bite of your Mediterranean Chicken Zucchini Bake will be flavorful.
- Step 4: Arrange In Baking Dish Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish (9×13 inches works well), spreading everything into an even layer. If using kalamata olives, scatter them throughout the dish. The key is creating a relatively flat layer so everything cooks evenly and develops those delicious roasted edges.
- Step 5: Bake To Perfection Place the baking dish in your preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. The chicken should be almost cooked through and the vegetables should be starting to soften. Remove the dish from the oven, sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese evenly over the top, and return to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked (165°F/74°C internal temperature) and the feta has softened and begun to brown slightly.
- Step 6: Finish And Serve For an extra-golden top, switch your oven to broil for the final 2-3 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning. Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley before serving your beautiful Mediterranean Chicken Zucchini Bake.
Notes
Fresh ingredients will always yield the best flavor results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 570mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 26g
- Cholesterol: 120mg