Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta 

The easiest lemony sumac skillet chicken and tomatoes cooked down in garlicky white wine and finished with a cucumber mashed basil and mint feta: this Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta is truly my busy weeknight secret weapon.

Preparing elaborate feasts is honestly such a hobby of mine. I mean, I don’t know many other people that live for the stress of preparing a dinner party spread with fancy appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts… well, except for maybe other food bloggers. All this said, there are some nights when I simply don’t have time to make anything crazy. The type of days when I’ve been running around like a crazy person, yet still am craving a fresh meal, ya know? Personally, when I’m in this scenario, or really just craving a fresh, non-complicated bite, I usually whip up a simple chicken, tomato, and feta situation. It always hits the spot. So, after weekend after weekend of these crazy busy nights, I felt it was time to FINALLY write down this favorite combo of flavors for you. Hence, this Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta has found its home on the blog. And, let me just say, you’ll definitely be making this one on repeat!

the breakdown…

This Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta recipe is truly so simple. No need for a marinade, just a simple good chicken, veggie, and topping kind of dinner. It’s the best. To kick this one off, you want to lightly blister those tomatoes in a hot skillet. Cast iron skillets are best for this, as they get super hot. Really, you just want to pre-char them a bit before tossing in your chicken because there may not be room in your skillet to get a good browning on them all at once. Once your tomatoes start to shrivel a bit, you know it’s time to get that chicken going. I like to use chicken breasts for this dish. Honestly, I just am not a big fan of trimming all of the fat off of my chicken thighs when simplicity is the name of the game… I’m just not. Now, I know chicken thighs technically have a lot more flavor, so you could definitely use them. But, after lathering the thinly sliced chicken in tons of sumac and za’atar (aka my two favorite Mediterranean spices) and cooking them down in a bunch of garlic and white wine, you really won’t be lacking any flavor. It’s just so good!

the best ever simple chicken…

Speaking of the method, this Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta recipe is truly my favorite way to prepare a quick juicy chicken. If you simply sear your chicken over a hot skillet until cooked through, or even use a grill pan through and through, the meat is sure to dry out — especially without a marinade. On the other hand, though, braising chicken in liquid until it is cooked through won’t produce that nice flavorful char. Rather, the spices will seep off into your liquids, and you’ll be left with more of a shredded chicken type of situation. No crisp, no seasoning… aka also not the answer. So, if there’s one thing I can teach you about a good, quickly cooked chicken it’s this: always slice or pound your meat thin so you can get a good char on the outside without burning, and ALWAYS finish with some liquid to keep things moist. In this case, the sumac and za’atar seasonings get nice and golden brown on the outside of your chicken, then the wine white ensures that it cooks through nice and juicy. Plus, with the addition of the garlic and lemon juice, the flavors are out of this world amazing!

that mashed herbed feta…

With that chicken squared away, the next step to this Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta is to make the mashed feta. This is almost like a greek dip, as it’s super chunky and pairs well with pita chips (just saying…). Really, though, who doesn’t love a good dip-topped chicken?! It’s the best. Start off with a block of some good feta cheese. The type of block that comes in the brine is always the most flavorful, although your regular block will also work. Either way, you’ll want to mash that up with a fork with some labneh or cream cheese. Labneh is a thicker, strained, and somewhat tart yogurt, which  really functions for texture here. I usually would say that you can substitute labneh with greek yogurt if you can’t find it at the store because they have a similar flavor. But, given that we’re looking for that thick consistency here, cream cheese is a nice substitute.(Labneh is the best though, if you can find it!!) 

how to serve it up…

For some freshness, you want to mix in some finely diced cucumber, some fresh basil, and some fresh mint. This  Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta recipe specifies for “torn” herbs, as this is really the best way to get flavor out of them (as opposed to chopping). Flavor is key with this herbed feta. Then, go in with some salt and pepper (because always necessary) and some honey and olive oil to pair against some red pepper flakes. With just a quick mix, this topping is truly immaculate. Serve up your juicy chicken and tomatoes with some of that herbed feta topping and a few pine nuts for crunch… and just like that, dinner is served! Whether you leave this dish as is, or serve it up over Creamy Mashed Cauliflower, sautéed spinach, orzo, another pasta, couscous, or really any grain, you can’t go wrong. I swear it will be delicious! 

I hope you love this Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))

Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta 

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Main CourseCuisine: Mediterranean, Greek, American, FusionDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

25

minutes

The easiest lemony sumac skillet chicken and tomatoes cooked down in garlicky white wine and finished with a cucumber mashed basil and mint feta: this Garlic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Herbed Feta is truly my busy weeknight secret weapon. 

Ingredients

• chicken:

• 1 + 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• 2 tbsp sumac

• 2 tbsp za’atar

• A pinch of salt and pepper

• 1.5 lb chicken breasts, thinly sliced lengthwise

• 8 cloves garlic, finely diced

• ½ cup white wine

• 1 lemon, juiced

• herbed feta:

• 8 oz feta block

• ⅓ cup labneh (or cream cheese)

• 2 mini Persian cucumbers, finely diced

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp honey

• Red pepper flakes, to taste

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 cup fresh basil, roughly torn

• ¼ cup fresh mint, roughly torn

• ¼ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped (optional)

• Pine nuts, to serve

Instructions

• In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high heat. Once hot, toss in the cherry tomatoes. Allow the cherry tomatoes to start to blister over the heat, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper
• Meanwhile, season your thinly sliced chicken with the sumac, za’atar, salt, and pepper. Add the additional tbsp of olive oil to the skillet with the tomatoes, then nestle your chicken into the skillet. Sear the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side, then toss in the garlic. Cook for an additional minute, then pour in the wine. Bring the liquids to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the wine is mostly cooked down. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
• Using a fork, roughly mash the feta block in a medium sized bowl. The feta should remain somewhat chunky. Mix in your labneh (or cream cheese), cucumber, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes until well combined. Then, fold in the basil, mint, and dill.
• Serve your chicken and tomatoes with plenty of the cooking juices. Top with some of the herbed feta and garnish with pine nuts and more fresh herbs, as desired. Enjoy!