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Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon

Bone-in chicken thighs browned until the skin is crisp, then braised with onions, cumin, lemon and pitted green olives in one wide pan. The olives season the sauce on their own; all you add at the end is fresh herbs. Serve with couscous, bulgur or potatoes.

Time
60 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (about 1.2 kg)
  • 200 g MADESA pitted green olives, drained, from a 1 kg jar
  • 2 lemons: zest and juice of one, the other thinly sliced
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp sweet paprika, ½ tsp turmeric
  • 300 ml chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • A small bunch of coriander or flat-leaf parsley
  • Salt and black pepper

Products in this recipe

Method

  1. 1

    Pat the chicken dry and season with salt, pepper, cumin and paprika.

  2. 2

    Heat the oil in a wide, lidded pan over a medium-high heat. Lay the thighs in skin side down and leave them for 6–7 minutes until deep golden, turn for 2 minutes, then set aside.

  3. 3

    Lower the heat, add the onions to the fat and cook for 8 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and turmeric for 1 minute.

  4. 4

    Pour in the stock with the lemon zest and juice and scrape up the browned bits. Return the chicken skin side up and tuck the olives and lemon slices around it.

  5. 5

    Cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes (or bake at 180 °C).

  6. 6

    Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes so the sauce reduces and the skin crisps again; the thickest part of the chicken should read 75 °C.

  7. 7

    Taste the sauce: the olives bring salt, so adjust only now. Scatter with herbs and serve.

Tip: Boneless thighs work too: cut the covered simmering to 15 minutes.

27 August 2026 · Mediterranean

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