This Roasted Lemon Chicken with Olives and Capers is hands down one of my favorite chicken recipes! It’s fast enough to make on a weeknight, it’s very light, and bursting with flavors. The star of the show here is definitly the roasted lemon. It adds a real depth of flavor that is so interesting. When cooking, the lemon slices release their juices and then caramelize while the edges brown. Simply irresistible! The addition of spinach, capers, olive and parsley is the perfect finishing touch, balancing the flavours beautifully. Even Chloé loves it (even though she won’t come anywhere near the spinach…oh well…one step at a time!). This is originally a Lidia Bastianich recipe, the Italian celebrity chef that has a show on PBS. I so enjoyed this dish at her Becco restaurant in New York City a few years ago. When I came back home, I stumbled on the recipe by chance on the Internet and have been making it ever since!
My Orzo with Brown Butter and Parmesan is a great accompaniment for this recipe, and if you like the combination of lemon, capers and parsley with chicken, also try this Chicken Piccata recipe!
ORZO WITH BROWN BUTTER AND PARMSEAN. Perfect side for this chicken.
CHICKEN PICCATA. Super quick & easy, light, bright and full of flavors.
- Chicken
- 2 lemons, sliced ¼-inch thick
- Olive oil
- Four 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- ½ cup pitted green Sicilian or Spanish olives, sliced
- 3 tablespoons drained capers
- 1½ cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small dice
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Sauteed Spinach with panko (optional)
- Two 5-ounce bags baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons panko
- Pinch of pepper flakes
- Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange lemon slices in single layer.
- Brush lemon slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for about 20 minutes, until the edges start to brown (look often to make sure it's not burning). Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
- Cook chicken over medium-high heat until golden, turning once, about 6 minutes.
- Add olives, capers, chicken stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet. Let stock sauce reduce by about ⅔, about 5 minutes.
- Add the roasted lemons, butter and parsley, season with salt and pepper and simmer just until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute.
- Sauteed Spinach with panko (optional)
- Add spinach to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and toss for about 2 minutes, until wilted. Transfer the spinach to a strainer; press out the liquid.
- Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the same skillet, add panko, pepper flakes and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until toasted, 2 minutes. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
- Transfer spinach to a serving plate, top with chicken, lemons, olives, capers and sauce.
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