Lemon Olive Garlic Chicken

A good friend was visiting last week and we came up with some amazing meals. I wanted to make chicken for dinner one night and she said that she liked all kinds of chicken, but really didn't like the skin, regardless of how crispy it was. I had some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer and took those out to thaw. An hour before we wanted dinner, I started preparing the chicken. This is one of the easiest meals to make and the flavor and fragrance is wonderful. Do give it a try!

Lemon Olive Garlic Chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 large lemon
4 cloves garlic
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
12 - 16 pitted kalamata olives (can substitute green olives)
1 shallot
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions:

1. Slice the lemon in 1/4 inch wide slices; remove seeds; slice lemon into half moons; place half of the lemon slices in the bottom of a large baking dish and set aside the remaining slices
2. Slice the garlic cloves thinly; place half of them in the bottom of the baking dish and set aside the remaining garlic slices
3. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer on top of the lemon and garlic; sprinkle lightly with paprika
4. Place remaining lemon and garlic slices on the chicken along with the olives
5. Slice the shallot thinly and place on top of the chicken
6. In a small bowl, combine the wine, chicken broth, white pepper, thyme, and oregano; mix well and pour over the chicken
7. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven

I served this with baked potatoes. If you prefer, you can bake fingering or small new potatoes in with the chicken or you can use quartered Yukon potatoes. Or you could serve steamed rice, angel hair pasta, or orzo.

You can also add a couple of more chicken breasts without changing the rest of the ingredients. We had leftover chicken and ate it chilled the next day - it was delicious!