Sautéed Chicken With Green Olives and White Wine Recipe (2024)

So....I assume the pan is supposed to be covered during the simmering process? Anyway, that's the way I did it -- but I've also done it in the oven for a large group and that worked fine too. It's a crowd-pleaser. The only thing I'd do differently is to toast the walnuts before tossing them in at the end.

I had to cut the white wine in half because I figured there would be too much sauce. I didn't cover the pan. Reduced simmering time by 5 minutes. Worked out wonderfully! Just loved the taste of lemon in the sauce on the juicy chicken, and topping everything off with the parsley and walnuts was great!

Made this with both breast (butterflied and pounded) and thighs because my wife prefers white meat. It was awesome both ways. Of course, the richer flavor is in the thigh. Also great if you throw some sliced onion and garlic in the pan while simmering. And no - you do not need to cover during the simmer. Served this with glazed carrots and a big ol' thick slice of toasted buttered sourdough and a plate of herbs and olive oil. It's so simple and delicious you just can't go wrong.

Ummm....what is a cracked olive? Is it a whole, pitted olive, or do you keep the pit? Do you buy olives already cracked somewhere? I need an explanation.

Not necessarily too much lemon Marie. Lemon is an integral part of this recipe, but it can be bitter. When I make a Chicken Provençal recipe which calls for lemon juice and slices, I also add a little Mirin wine. Its sweetness cuts down on the acidity and bitterness of the lemon. I think if you put a splash of Mirin in this recipe, it would be great.

If your sauce is wine, olives and lemons, it's going to be very thin and very acidic. I made a thin sauce with 1T flour, 1T oil and 1/2C chicken broth and added it at the end. This slightly thickened the sauce and calmed down the acidity. I used a Meyer lemon and charred the slices on both sides in a nonstick skillet. Finally, I suggest omitting the walnuts. They turnde the sauce dark and stained my teeth like crazy! Never had that happen before.

Might try with slightly less wine next time - had an excess of sauce.

What are cracked olives?

I went a little rogue with this recipe but it turned out so well that Im sharing I had boneless breasts to use up-so I started with those I seasoned the breasts with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. I placed in my cast iron with olive oil and butter and lightly seared on both sides.I then added the olives, wine and a little bit of the olive brine. I also chopped up two fresh Roma tomatoes from my garden and added those along with the olives and wine I also toasted the nuts. Delicious!

Overall great recipe. Modified due to limitations in my groceries and recipe was flexible enough. I used a pack of drumsticks and a pack of thighs, unpitted regular olives, and only 1.5c white wine.I thickened the sauce with a cornstarch slurry at the end. Also popped the whole pan in the broiler before adding walnuts to try to get more brown on the chicken but it didn’t work well. Also wish I had seasoned the chicken earlier for more flavor but it was still fine as is.

I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Had more olives than listed, the walnut WAS indeed added a layer of good flavor. Hubby who doesn't like chicken loved this dish.

Shout out to a reader who suggested dredging boneless skinless thighs in flour - I used potato starch. Result was fantastic and also helped to finish the sauce. Used a good Sauvignon Blanc and jarred, pitted Castelvetrano olives with fresh lemon - fantastic. Wouldn’t change a thing (well besides the adjustment for not having skin-on thighs).

Made as written, but used half the chicken and made all the sauce. Used Vinho Verde and Castelveltrano olives. I cooked farro for a side, but decided to throw it in the skillet at the last minute. Also, I covered the skillet, turned the chicken a few times, and put it under the broiler before serving to add more color and crisp up the skin. So, didn't really make as written, but departed. The sauce was good, but think an off-dry white might have been better. A tiny bit of lemon in each bite!

Does anyone have the nutritional information for this recipe? if so, could you post it here in a note. Many thanks.

This was, I believe, the best recipe I've cooked by Mark Bittman. I followed the recipe exactly (well, maybe I added a few more green olives) and the results were delicious. This recipe is a keeper.

Wow!!! I made this for the second time tonight. I had only boneless thighs so I dredged them in flour and had no issue with the sauce being too thin. I found a jar of green cracked olives in the store that needed to be pitted so used my meat pounder to smash them. Easy way to get fantastic flavor! The crunch of the walnuts was a bonus. Add them at the last minute as directed. I let the dish sit while the rice cooked which let the lemon infuse the meat. Added the parsley and walnuts and Voila!

The sauce was fantastic - white wine, lemon, green olives and walnuts, a fabulous combination. I used the excess chicken fat to sauté a thinly sliced blue of fennel and a couple of thinly sliced red onions, then added these to the pan for cooking. I found the final stage of cooking took longer to ensure that the chicken was cooked through.

I accidentally bought skinless thighs, so I browned them for only about 5 minutes before adding wine and olives. Also added sliced garlic, and sprinkled the chicken with turmeric and dried lemongrass. Used less wine and simmered for about 20 min to evaporate. I think this recipe needs a little extra help with creative seasonings without going nuts about it. Cooked the dish 2 days in advanced and refrigerated with sliced lemon atop in glass dish so ready to heat up. Still, simple and tasty.

Is there a good alternative to wine if I’m making this for someone who doesn’t consume alcohol in any form? Chicken stock?

Ummm....what is a cracked olive? Is it a whole, pitted olive, or do you keep the pit? Do you buy olives already cracked somewhere? I need an explanation.

For me, uncovered pot led to paucity of sauce. Recommend covering.

I normally like Mark Bittman but I thought this was "meh." The sauce was too acidic for my taste. Many other wonderful recipes here featuring similar ingrediants that I think are much tastier.