Chicken with Green Olives Recipe [Baked or Skillet Method]

Chicken with Green Olives

This recipe for chicken and green olives makes about 4 servings and takes a little over an hour from start to finish, mostly unattended. 

I love these types of chicken recipes where all the ingredients cook together in a single pan. It’s very similar in concept to Italian chicken cacciatore.This allows the chicken to soak up and absorb the flavors of the other ingredients.

I consider this a simplified cacciatore-style recipe simply because it is so flexible. Besides the green olives and a few core ingredients, you can really use whatever you have on hand. 

For example, I didn’t have fresh peppers on hand when I first made this for dinner, only frozen slices I had saved earlier a few months prior. I especially wanted the red pepper in there because it adds a sweetness to the dish. So I gathered what I had and tossed it in. 

I mean, everything gets cooked down anyway right?!

Here’s the final recipe, all perfected and ready to go. Let’s get started!

About the Chicken and Green Olives

A quick note about the two core ingredients – chicken and the olives. First off, I used two very large chicken breasts that I cut in half to provide four servings. I don’t usually buy cut up chickens and I like to keep my whole chickens for roasting. 

However you can certainly use whole chicken parts, along with the bone-in. If you do, it might take a little longer to cook the chicken, so keep an eye on the internal temp. 

For the olives, yes I use green olives. If you have castelvetrano Italian green olives, all the better. If all you have are the Spanish olives stuffed with pimentos, use those. I’ve done both. Pimentos are just red peppers anyway so it works out!

The olives offer a nice salty and mediterranean flavor which I love.

Ingredients Needed

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe. I offer some ideas for variations at the end of this post. Exact measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Olive oil. Use extra virgin olive oil. 
• Butter. Yep, I use a combo of olive oil and butter. 
• Boneless chicken breasts. Cut in half. Adjust quantities accordingly. 
• Onion. Yellow or white would be fine.
• Garlic cloves. Chopped or crushed is fine. 
• Red pepper. Diced. 
• Green pepper. Diced. You can actually use any combination of colored peppers. 
• Sliced mushrooms. I used canned mushrooms, but you can also use fresh button mushrooms. 
• Diced tomatoes.
• Green olives. Make sure to buy them pitted!
• Heavy cream or Half & Half. I really do not like using heavy cream a lot, so I often use Half & Half instead. If you want a creamier sauce then use heavy cream. 
• Parsley. This is to sprinkle on top if you’d like.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are the step-by-step instructions. Make sure to check out my additional notes and tips in this post.

Step 1. In a large saucepan, add the olive oil and butter over medium heat. 

Step 2. Add in the onions and stir to coat with the olive oil butter mixture. Cook for about 8 minutes until translucent. 

Step 3. Add in the garlic and give it a stir. Let the garlic cook for about 3 minutes.

Step 4. Add the bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, canned tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cook for an additional 3 minutes. 

Step 5. Take the chicken pieces that you cut in half and place them on the onions. Cover the pan and bake in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes. 

Step 6. After 30 minutes, the chicken breasts should be almost done. Remove the pan from the oven and pour the cream over the chicken.

Step 7. Add the green olives and return to the oven for an additional 10 to 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F. 

Step 8. Remove from heat and use the remaining liquid as a sauce. Top with fresh parsley and enjoy with some fresh crusty bread.

How to Cook Chicken and Green Olives over the Stove

If you don’t want to bake the chicken, and prefer to cook everything directly over the stove, no problem. The process is the same except that you’ll want to first fry the chicken quickly on each side. Follow these steps. 

Step 1. Gently fry the chicken on each side for about two minutes in the olive oil and butter. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. 

Follow steps 2-4 by cooking the vegetables. 

Step 2. Add some water or dry white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan, then transfer the chicken breasts back to the pan. Reduce heat to low-medium. 

Step 3. Pour in the cream and green olives, and cover the pan with a lid. Continue to cook over low-medium heat for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F. 

Step 4. Remove from heat and use the remaining liquid as a sauce. Top with fresh parsley. 

Recipe Substitutions & Variations

This recipe is so flexible that the sky is the limit. Here are some ideas you may enjoy. 

1. Add some chopped, jarred artichokes. 
2. Use whole chicken parts with bone in. Adjust cooking times accordingly. 
3. Add about a ½ cup of dry white wine when adding the cream and olives. 
4. Serve either on top of or with a side dish of pasta, using the juices from the pan as the sauce. It’s delicious!