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Main Courses
Braised Chicken with Lemon and Olives
Braised chicken with lemon and olives has a light, savoury sauce with gentle citrus bitterness and briny accents. Bone-in thighs suit the moist cooking method. Browning gives depth before the covered simmer, while parsley freshens the final plate.
Home Cook View
Follow the measured ingredients, numbered method, substitutions, safety notes and cooking mode below.
Professional Kitchen View
Standard Yield4 servings
Professional Chef Notes
Taste olives before adding the full salt amount. Thin lemon slices contribute peel flavour; remove seeds and avoid an excessive quantity of thick white pith. Use stock whose salt level allows some reduction.
Brown chicken, soften onion and garlic, then simmer with stock, herbs and the planned lemon component. Check chicken reaches 74°C and is tender. Adjust extra lemon juice only after olives and reduced stock are present.
A bitter sauce may contain too much pith or overcooked lemon peel. A thin sauce can be reduced after lifting out cooked chicken. Additional salt should wait until the olives have flavoured the liquid.
About This Recipe
Braised chicken with lemon and olives has a light, savoury sauce with gentle citrus bitterness and briny accents. Bone-in thighs suit the moist cooking method. Browning gives depth before the covered simmer, while parsley freshens the final plate.
Before You Start
1. Read firstRead every step once before switching on the cooker.
2. MeasureWeigh and prepare all ingredients in the order listed.
3. Control heatLow means a gentle bubble, medium cooks steadily, and high is for quick browning.
4. Check donenessUse the texture, timing and safe-temperature checks written in the method.
Equipment
- ✓ Wide lidded pan
- ✓ Tongs
- ✓ Food thermometer
Ingredients
Easy Step-by-Step Method
Complete one numbered step before moving to the next. Keep the heat and timing exactly as written.
- Brown chicken: Pat thighs dry, season with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil for 5 minutes per side. Lift aside.
- Cook onion: Lower heat and cook onion for 6 minutes, then garlic for 30 seconds.
- Build the braise: Add stock, lemon slices, thyme and bay leaves, scraping up browned bits.
- Simmer: Return chicken skin-side up. Cover partly and simmer gently for 35–45 minutes until tender and at least 74°C in the thickest flesh away from bone.
- Add olives: Stir olives into the sauce for the last 5 minutes. Lift cooked chicken onto a clean plate if the sauce needs reducing.
- Finish: Remove bay leaves, add lemon juice to taste and scatter with parsley. Spoon sauce around rather than over the skin.
Chef Notes & Tips
Olives may make the finished sauce salty, so start with restrained salt. Thin lemon slices can turn bitter during an unnecessarily long boil.
Ingredient choices: Taste olives before adding the full salt amount. Thin lemon slices contribute peel flavour; remove seeds and avoid an excessive quantity of thick white pith. Use stock whose salt level allows some reduction.
Cooking control: Brown chicken, soften onion and garlic, then simmer with stock, herbs and the planned lemon component. Check chicken reaches 74°C and is tender. Adjust extra lemon juice only after olives and reduced stock are present.
If something goes wrong: A bitter sauce may contain too much pith or overcooked lemon peel. A thin sauce can be reduced after lifting out cooked chicken. Additional salt should wait until the olives have flavoured the liquid.
Ingredient Substitutions
- ↔ Chicken thighs → drumsticks
- ↔ Green olives → Kalamata olives
- ↔ Thyme → oregano
Food Safety & Doneness
Keep raw poultry separate from ready-to-eat food and do not wash it. Check the thickest flesh and any stuffing reach at least 74°C with a food thermometer; colour and timing alone are not reliable.
Serving & Plating
Serve with potatoes, rice or bread prepared separately. Spoon olives and sauce around the chicken and remove bay leaves.
Storage
Refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers at 4°C or below and use within 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed to at least 74°C throughout. Discard food left unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C.
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