Looking for an easy, delicious, complete meal that cooks in one skillet? This Greek Chicken Skillet is for you. Featuring juicy chicken, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and quinoa, this Top 9 Free meal packs a ton of flavor in every bite!
I’ve always hated washing dishes. For the past 14 years, my husband and I have had an agreement in which I cook and he cleans. This sometimes means I use as many dishes as possible with abandon, and then feel slightly guilty afterwards when he slaves over the kitchen sink (I’m looking at you, homemade soft pretzels). But I try to make up for it by alternating in meals like this Greek Chicken Skillet, which requires one skillet and one large spoon, plus a few chopping and measuring utensils.
I usually start this dish by chopping up my olives, so then I can use the cutting board to chop up the raw chicken. Cook the chicken in a delicious Greek marinade (no need to pre-marinate!), add in water and quinoa and cook until fluffy, then stir in frozen spinach and all the other toppings. Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients! Most items are just delicious herbs and seasonings.
This recipe is also great if you have picky eaters in your house. When my kids were little, I would cook the chicken and then take some out of the skillet before adding the quinoa so there was “plain chicken” to serve with rice and veggies on the side. Heaven forbid anything is mixed together or touching on a toddler’s plate! It’s also perfect for meal prep, as it travels and reheats well.
Make it allergy friendly for your family!
As written, this Greek Chicken Skillet is top 9 free, dairy free, gluten free, sunflower free, plus garlic and onion free. Feta cheese crumbles are delicious sprinkled on top of this skillet, whether you choose a vegan or dairy version. If you’d like to make this a vegan meal, simply substitute two cans of garbanzo beans for the chicken (instructions are in the recipe notes). All of the other ingredients, such as the olives or tomatoes, can easily be left out to adapt this for your family.
This skillet is on regular rotation in our house, and I hope it will become a favorite in yours as well. Leave a comment and let me know how this turned out for you!
Greek Chicken Skillet
This Greek Chicken Skillet takes you on holiday with its sun-drenched Mediterranean flavors. You can usually find sun dried tomatoes in the produce section or the canned vegetable aisle at your local store, and if you can find them they add deeper flavor than fresh tomatoes. As written, this recipe is Top 9 allergen free, but you can also make this vegan by substituting garbanzo beans for the chicken (see notes below for detailed instructions).
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 c. white or red wine vinegar
- 1/4 c. water
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. honey, optional
- 1 tsp. grainy mustard (can sub 1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder)
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
- 3 c. water
- 1 1/2 c. dried quinoa, rinsed
- 1 1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach, no need to thaw
- 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives, chopped
- 1/2 c. julienne cut dehydrated sun dried tomatoes (can use oil-packed tomatoes, see recipe notes)
Instructions
- If using dehydrated sun dried tomatoes: combine sun dried tomatoes and 1/2 c. water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for one minute, then keep the tomatoes in the microwave with the door shut to rehydrate while you work on the rest of the recipe. Drain water off before using.
- In a large nonstick skillet, combine diced chicken with vinegar, 1/4 c. water, olive oil, honey, mustard, and all spices and herbs (salt through marjoram). Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until chicken is cooked through and opaque (about 10 minutes). Continue cooking until all the liquid is evaporated and the chicken is browned (another 5-10 minutes). The chicken will brown quickly once the liquid is gone, so stir frequently to preven burning.
- Pour 3 cups of water into the skillet, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with your spoon. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then add the dry quinoa and frozen spinach. Stir to make sure all of the quinoa is submerged in the water. Put a lid on the pan, turn down the heat to medium low, and simmer for the time indicated on your quinoa package directions (mine takes about 20 minutes).
- Once the quinoa is fully cooked, remove the skillet from the heat and remove the lid. Stir in the chopped olives and drained sun dried tomatoes. Serve as is or with crumbled feta (there are lots of vegan options!) on top.
Notes
You can replace the individual dried herbs with 2 tsp. Italian or Greek seasoning blend, keeping an eye out for garlic and other allergens if needed. I use dehydrated, julienne cut sun dried tomatoes and rehydrate them as indicated in the recipe, but you could also use jarred, oil-packed sun dried tomatoes. If you use jarred tomatoes, drain off as much oil as possible before using (you can use 1 Tbsp of the oil in place of the olive oil in Step 1). The red wine vinegar can be substituted with lemon juice (it will alter the flavor but is still delicious!). To make this dish vegan, in the second step combine 2 (15.5 oz) cans garbanzo beans with half the liquid (2 Tbsp. water, 2 Tbsp. vinegar, 1 Tbsp olive oil) but keeping all of the seasonings the same. Continue with Step 3 once the liquid is evaporated and the beans are cooked through.