This Roast Chicken with Caramelized Lemons, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives has quickly become one of my trusted, tried and true dinner entrees for a plethora of reasons. It’s super simple (hello only 5 ingredients and only one pan) and incredibly delicious. This is one of the best Roast Chicken recipes you’ll try this week!
All I can say is, thank goodness for family favorites. You know, the dishes you can count on to delight your crew even if you wind up making it several times in a week.
Whenever I make this roasted chicken recipe, my whole family fights tooth and nail for every last little cherry tomato and olive, whose flavors get insanely rich from all the caramelizing in the sauté pan. Who “got more tomatoes and olives” has become such an issue in my house that I’ve started adding an extra handful of each beyond what the recipe calls for — which is actually great because I’ve found that the more you add the better this dish gets!
If you think this recipe is tasty right out of the oven, just wait until you try it on day two. You will start hoping there’s enough for leftovers every time you make it, as the flavors come together even more and the chicken stays moist and juicy under the skin. Mentioning the skin, I had no idea how much my kids adored crispy skin until I made this dish for the first time. I usually try to avoid eating skin and remove it because it’s not the healthiest, but let’s be honest, it’s pretty much the best part.
Also, to put it simply… The taste of caramelized lemons….are you kidding me??!!
If these aren’t reasons enough to convince you to make this Roast Chicken with Caramelized Lemons, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives than just the blessing of only having to clean up one pan after dinner, instead an entire sinkful of them, which will only add to the post-meal smile that will be on your face.
I beg you to make this one. It’s seriously worth the un-effort!
Roast Chicken with Caramelized Lemons, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 4 chicken breasts, bone in and skin on
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- handful of thyme (about 8-10 stems)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry, make sure they are very dry, and sprinkle the top with the salt.
- Place the chicken breasts, skin side down, in the heated oil and sear for 5 minutes, or until skin is crisp and golden brown.
- Flip the chicken over. Add the lemon, olives, tomatoes and thyme to the skillet and transfer to the oven.
- Roast for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- *The chicken breasts I used were 3/4 pound each.
I have tried garlic stuffed olives and jalapeno stuffed olives – both are a delicious twist
this recipe is so great! So much flavor for such an easy preparation. I love love love it! Thank you.
So glad it was a hit!
This was so good and very easy! Perfect for a novice cook like myself! Thanks Catherine…
roast chiken w csrmelized .lemons cherry tomatoes
A good last minute recipe to make and soooooo delicious!
1 lemon cut in half! It is the 4th ingredient in the recipe list. 🙂
Hi this roast chicken with carmelized lemons looked amazing. How many lemons and are they sliced, diced, whole? The recipe does not state. From the photo it looks like 1 lemon sliced in half. Thanks!
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I made this last week and it was so good!
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Nope! 🙂
Does the chicken need to be covered once it’s in the oven?
You can, but you’ll need to cook them for way less time. So keep an eye on them!
can u use boneless breasts?
could i use boneless chicken breasts?
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That looks such tasty ! Wonderful !
Thanks for sharing one of your tried-and-true recipes! Adding tomatoes, olives and lemon dressed up the weekly roast chicken (I use chicken quarters). I seasoned the chicken with lemon pepper and salt, then followed the recipe as stated. The tomatoes, lemon and olives made such a rich gravy. Even my picky eater son ate every last bite! Love, love, love!!
Oh. My. Goodness. This is fabulous!
You could follow the directions for the Perfect Roast Chicken and just add the lemons, tomatoes and olives to the pan! http://b12.ba4.myftpupload.com/2012/03/19/perfect-roast-chicken/
what would you do different if using a whole chicken?
This is absolutely delicious. Even my very picky 2 year old ate it. Thank you!
it’s always good when i find a blog that teachs and inpires me so much! Thank you!
The lemons caramelize while they’re roasting in the oven with everything else!
How do you make carmelized lemons?
[…] Easy Roast Chicken with Caramelized Lemons, Cherry Tomatoes and Olives – weelicious […]
I used a 9-inch skillet!
How big is the pan you used? I am not sure I can fit all four breasts in my stainless steel pan.
Ok, you had me at caramelized lemons! I can’t wait to make this for my family.
-Dana
I would use 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of dried thyme since it is much more potent! Maybe sprinkle it over everything just before putting it in the oven.
Would dried thyme work well? If so, how much would you suggest?
Great recipe–the colors in this dish are just beautiful.
Great recipe!!! I have organic chicken legs on my grocery list. They are $1.99/lb @ Trader Joes so I think this would be nice for this dish.
Nope! I leave it uncovered and don’t have a problem with splattering. Make sure to dry the chickens really well before placing them in the hot oil!
2nd question: Do you cover the pan in the over at all? Do you have any problem with oil spitting/sputtering out?
Kalamata olives would be wonderful!
Ohhhhh num yummy. I have been looking for a great, easy, go-to chicken recipe and am pretty sure this is it!
Have you tried it with other olives, like kalamata?
Thanks
Yum! This brings back memories! I loved a similar dish as a kid!
Grandma used to add some onions in there as well. I am definitely trying this soon (though last time I made it, my Kiddo disliked the lemon in it).
ok- I am drooling a little . This sounds easy and delicious. I will most certainly try it next week. Thanks for a one-pan wonder!
Follow the same recipe, but check the chicken for doneness and add a few minutes onto the cooking time as dark meat can take longer to cook!
And what about using thighs? We are a dark meat family. Thanks!
If it is all stainless steel, cast iron, or enameled cast iron it is most likely oven proof. If there is anything plastic on it (or even those silicon handles sometimes) it is probably not. What brand of skillet do you have? The manufacturer’s website will probably tell whether or not it is oven-proof!
Yes, Alyson is right, is there is anything plastic on your skillet, then it could melt in the oven.
Julie – I think that whether a skillet is oven-proof or not usually has to do with what material was used for the handle. If you’re using a pan that is all stainless-steel or all cast iron or enameled cast iron (e.g., Le Creuset), then you should be fine. Many recipes also say you can wrap a handle with foil to make it oven-safe, although I have not tried it. Also note that the handles of the lids for some pans (even Le Creuset) can be an issue, but that’s not a factor for this recipe. In any event, the easiest thing to do is Google the type of pan you have!
This feels like a silly question but how do I know if my skillet is oven-proof??
I haven’t done that with this recipe, because it only cooks for 25 minutes and potatoes usually take longer than that to cook. Also, my pan wouldn’t hold the chicken breasts and potatoes, it is too small! If you cut them small enough the potatoes would cook in 25 minutes, but I would probably put them on a sheet tray drizzled with oil and salt and just put it in the oven at the same time!
You could could pre-cook the potatoes and then add them to the chicken to finish roasting. When I roast a turkey I usually slice the potatoes and line the bottom of the roasting pan with them. they get cooked with all the juices of the turkey and they are delicious!! but a turkey cooks for longer time than this chicken so I think pre-cooking partially may work.
I was wondering the same about adding potatoes. :-). Weelicious, please do answer this question!
This looks delicious, and I who doesn’t love a one-pan meal?! Have you ever tried adding fingerling potatoes to the pan? I’m just wondering how the timing would work. I could always cook them in a separate pan, but it would be great to put it all in one!
Thanks so much!