One-Skillet Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta
One-Skillet Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta is easy enough for a weeknight meal and special enough for entertaining company. Juicy chicken thighs simmer with pasta and Mediterranean flavors like sun dried tomatoes and salty olives. A delicious one-skillet dinner.
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Jump to RecipeWhy You’ll Love One-Skillet Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta
- It’s packed with layers of Mediterranean flavors.
- Super easy to make and only requires one single pan.
- An impressive meal your guests will love.
I absolutely love Mediterranean and Greek flavors. If I see a recipe featuring brined olives, sun dried tomatoes, or feta cheese, I am on it! This recipe resembles similar flavors to my Greek Chicken Sheet Pan Meal only it’s a bit heartier. If you scan my recipes you will find lots of one-skillet, one pot meals. That’s because I’m a lazy person and I’d rather be reading my book in the evening than washing dishes.
Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta is a meal that can be enjoyed and made year round. It’s not too heavy and the ingredients don’t require anything seasonal. I use a few pre-packaged items from the grocery store to make this super simple and your guests will never know by the beautiful presentation that it was so easy to put together.
Ingredients For Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta:
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
- Ditalini Pasta
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh spinach
- Chicken broth
- Brined pitted olives such as kalamata and Castelvetrano
- Lemon slices
Other Pasta Shapes That Work For This Recipe:
If you can’t find Ditalini or want to use something different, Orzo, Acini Di Pepe, Orecchiette, or mini Farfalle will work perfectly.
Add Fresh Herbs:
Thankfully fresh herbs can be found year round and they are a great way to add freshness to any meal. Basil, thyme, and Italian flat leaf parsley are perfect for this recipe.
Step by Step How To Make Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta:
Step 1. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large deep skillet with fitted lid to medium high heat. Add olive oil and chicken. Cook on both sides for 5 minutes each. It should be golden brown but not cooked all the way through. Transfer to a plate.
Step 2. To the hot pan add oil, butter, and onion. Cook onion until softened. Stir in garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Cook another minute then add pasta, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, spinach, and chicken broth. Stir, then add chicken back to the back. Bring to a boil then place the lid on and turn the heat down to low. Cook until pasta is tender, and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Step 3. Once pasta is cooked, top with olives and fresh lemon slices. Put the lid back on for a few minutes then serve.
Pro Tips
- Have extra chicken broth on hand. Depending on the type and size of noodles you are using, you may need to add more stock before the noodles have a chance to cook.
- Make sure to use a deep skillet with fitted lid. You want plenty of room for the noodles and chicken to cook so having a deeper skillet (preferably non-stick) works best.
- Don’t completely cook the chicken in the first step. The chicken finishes cooking with the noodles, therefore you don’t want to completely cook them in the first step. This could result in dry chicken.
- Use those warmed lemon slices. The lemon slices are not just for looks. After they have warmed through during the 10-minute resting time, serve a helping of chicken and pasta and squeeze a fresh wedge over everything. So good!
Can I freeze Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta?
It is not recommended to freeze this recipe. There isn’t much of a sauce so the noodles and chicken won’t have the same texture once thawed. This does however make great leftovers for lunch or an effortless second dinner.
This recipe is great for sharing on a meal train.
If you’ve never heard of meal train, it’s basically a way for people to organize or sign up to provide a meal for someone in need. This usually comes as an invitation to you via friend or family. Often times folks post the info on social media. Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta can be prepared in the skillet and transferred to a disposable pan with a tight lid. Throw in a pre-packaged salad and loaf of French bread from the grocery store, and your person in need will feel so blessed!
Other One-Skillet Meals You Might Enjoy:
- Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- Italian Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Skillet
- Skillet Taco Mac
- Skillet Tater Tot Casserole with Zucchini
Let’s eat!
One-Skillet Mediterranean Chicken And Pasta
Ingredients
- 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs can use 4-5 small chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
- 2 cups ditalini pasta see recipe notes for other options
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 3/4 cup pitted olives such as kalamata, and castelvetrano
- 1 lemon sliced in wedges
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large deep skillet with fitted lid to medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and place chicken in the skillet. Sear on both sides for 5-minutes each. It should be golden brown but not cooked all the way through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, butter, and onion. Cook onion until softened about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and sun dried tomatoes and cook another 1-minute.
- Add pasta, seasonings, spinach, and chicken broth. Stir together then place the chicken back in the skillet. Bring to a boil, then put the lid on and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 15-17 minutes, checking every so often to make sure it doesn't need more broth. Cook until pasta is tender and almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
- Scatter the olives and lemon slices on top. Put the lid back on and remove the skillet from the heat. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Have extra chicken broth on hand. Depending on the type and size of noodles you are using, you may need to add more stock before the noodles have a chance to cook.
- Make sure to use a deep skillet with fitted lid. You want plenty of room for the noodles and chicken to cook so having a deeper skillet (preferably non-stick) works best.
- Don’t completely cook the chicken in the first step. The chicken finishes cooking with the noodles, therefore you don’t want to completely cook them in the first step. This could result in dry chicken.
- Use those warmed lemon slices. The lemon slices are not just for looks. After they have warmed through during the 10-minute resting time, serve a helping of chicken and pasta and squeeze a fresh wedge over everything. So good!
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 5 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 641 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 33.9g | 43% |
Saturated Fat 5.7g | 28% |
Cholesterol 291mg | 97% |
Sodium 1197mg | 52% |
Total Carbohydrate 15.5g | 6% |
Dietary Fiber 1.5g | 5% |
Total Sugars 1.2g | |
Protein 70.6g | |
Vitamin D 2mcg | 8% |
Calcium 86mg | 7% |
Iron 4mg | 25% |
Potassium 362mg | 8% |
Nutrition
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Another awesome dish! Some things I changed – I just used broken up spaghetti pasta and regular green olives with pimento . Also, I couldn’t find sun dried tomatoes with no oil, so I used ones with oil. It all turned out wonderfully! Delicious!
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing the substitutes and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The broken spaghetti sounds perfect:)