Mediterranean Chicken and Potatoes

We had five large chicken thighs left from a package of ten and I wanted to try one of the recipes I’d been saving from Pam’s, For The Love Of Cooking blog – her Mediterranean Chicken.  Since the oven was being used, I also wanted to try the Pizza Potato recipe from Cathy at Noble Pig but since I wanted everything to be Greek, I didn’t use the pizza seasoning.  I also wanted to keep both dishes simpler by using Cavender’s rather than the herbs and spices in the recipes.  Please stop by their sites for the original recipes and good photos.

Mediterranean Chicken – Adapted from For The Love Of Cooking

Ingredients:

5 bone-in chicken thighs

To taste – Cavenders Seasoning

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 cups of grape tomatoes, all we had on hand

1 cup of Greek olives

1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced (I used a little more than the recipe called for)

1 tbsp capers

3 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Trim thighs to remove extra skin and fat, peel back the skin from the top and add seasoning to the top and bottom sides, then replace skin and season top of it.

3. Heat the two teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down and cook until skin side is golden brown then flip. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes to brown the bottom.

4. While the chicken is cooking, combine the tomatoes, olives, onion, capers, sliced garlic, and more Cavender’s, to taste, in a small bowl then drizzle with remaining olive oil and toss to mix well.

5. Place the chicken pieces, skin side up, into the prepared baking dish then surround the chicken with the vegetable mixture. 

6. Place into the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through – 180*F for thighs. 

7. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Pizza Potatoes – Adapted from Noble Pig

Ingredients:

2 lbs baby potatoes, any color, sliced in half lengthwise

1-1/2  Tablespoons olive oil

To taste Cavender’s

To taste – S&P

1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heaping 1/4 cup mini pepperoni (or chopped regular – what we had on hand)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  Add potatoes and drizzle olive oil right on potatoes, followed by seasoning, salt and cheese.  Use your hands to completely coat your potatoes well with the mixture.

3. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

4. Remove from the oven and immediately add pepperoni, stirring carefully. Serve right away.

I really enjoyed both dishes and would definitely make them again with two exceptions:

1. I would use the herbs and spices that either Pam or Cathy used on both dishes as neither of ours were as flavorful as we would have liked by using the Cavender’s.  I should have known better than tinker with recipes from these two great cooks.

2. I would deal with the skin differently and either remove it or cook it crispier in the skillet then keep it exposed during the baking process so it will stay crisp.

Thanks ladies for an excellent meal.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

12/7/14 event date