Skillet Chicken Thighs with Olives, Peppers, Onions, Garlic, and Tomatoes

Juicy chicken thighs with crispy skin served over a sauce of tomatoes, Kalamata and Sicilian olives, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and lots of garlic. This dish is so savory and dripping with umami. All that flavor AND only 20 minutes of prep time. This one skillet dinner will be ready to serve in 1 hour.

_{This article contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission if you buy something, at no extra cost to you. It is a way for me to continue bringing you free content. I appreciate you supporting my small business!}

Why this recipe works

I love this recipe because it is huge in flavor pay off with little effort. The addition of ingredients with bold flavors like garlic, olives, red peppers, and red onions all pack in tons of salty savory flavor. Even if you don’t like olives, I encourage you to try this dish. The olives with melt in your mouth after cooking and combine with the juices from the chicken and tomatoes and melt down into a luscious sauce that you will be wanting to soak up every ounce of.

I also love the textures in this dish with the contrast of crispy chicken skin with soft roasted olives and garlic. Serve it over rice or pasta to soak up all those savory juices.

Quick tips

• Use a cast iron skillet for easy stove top to oven transfer.
• Preheat your cast iron skillet for a few minutes before adding chicken to get the crispiest results.
• Serve over rice or pasta to get every drop of that savory broth!

Equipment

This recipe requires only simple tools you already have in your kitchen. You can make this dish with any skillet, but of course I recommend a cast iron skillet. I love the cast iron for this dish since it can be used stove top then transferred to the oven. And using only one pan means less clean up! If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use a pan that is oven safe.

Ingredient notes

Below are some tips about the ingredients for this recipe.

• Bone in skin on chicken thighs – You can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe if that’s what you have on hand, however you’ll get a little less flavor this way. The bones help add to the savoriness of the sauce, and the crispy chicken skin adds a lovely contrast of texture.
• Salt – I use Redmond Real Salt in the recipes on Feeding Our Faces. This salt is unrefined, unbleached, and tastes much better than iodized table salt.
• Garlic – this recipe uses a lot of garlic, but trust me, it adds to the bold flavors of this dish. Smash and peel your garlic, but leave the cloves whole to roast and braise in the sauce while cooking. It will be melt in your mouth tender.
• Sicilian green olives and Kalamata olives – I use two kinds of olives in this dish for their different colors and slightly different flavors. You can sub out your favorite olives or use one kind if you have trouble finding them, but they should be available in most grocery stores. Make sure you are buying olives that have already been pitted, or you will have to remove the pits yourself. I like to slice them in half longways.

How to make this dish

This dish is fairly simple to make, with little prep. Dinner can be on the table in an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Prep your mise en place first. Chop red onion and red pepper into 1/2 inch strips. Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Smash and peel the garlic, but leave whole. Slice olives in half lengthwise. Mix together your seasonings: onion powder, oregano, basil, and salt.

Preheat your cast iron skillet on medium heat. Pat down the chicken thighs on both sides with paper towels to dry. Lightly salt the skin side of the chicken. Add chicken to the pan, skin side down, with a small amount of vegetable oil under each thigh. Season the other side of the chicken with your seasoning mix while the skin is crisping. If there is any seasoning left over, set it aside. Cook skin side for 5-8 minutes, until skin is golden brown and crispy. Flip to the other side and sear for 2-3 minutes, until developing a browned crust. Remove pan from heat.

Add in peppers, olives, onions, garlic, and tomatoes to the pan, tucking some under each chicken thighs. Sprinkle any remaining seasoning mix over the ingredients. To keep your chicken skin crispy, bake skin side up. Elevate the chicken thighs on top of the vegetables so the skin is not sitting in juices while baking.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 400°F.

Cook your rice or pasta while the chicken is in the oven.

Serve vegetables and sauce over rice or pasta with the chicken thighs.

FAQ

More Chicken Recipes

• Greek Salad with Za’atar Chicken
• Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup
• Mediterranean Chicken & Quinoa Bowl with Romesco Sauce
• Sweet and Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• How to cook perfect juicy chicken breasts every time

Here are some other Feeding Our Faces recipes you will love!

Any questions about this recipe? I’d love to help! Drop a comment below or send me an email!