Mediterranean Chicken

With school in session I'm betting that there are a lot of parents who are looking for quick and easy dinner recipes.  Below is a recipe I shared over at The Frugal Girls last spring.  It's one of my go-to dinners and I thought I would share it here in case you missed it back then.

I consider it a "go-to" because I frequently need quick and easy weeknight recipes.  In fact (and I'm a little embarrassed to admit this) sometimes I don't even know what we're having for dinner until about five minutes before I start cooking.

This is a shameful thing for a mommy-blogger to admit.  C'mon, you guys are on Pinterest, you know how organized we mommy-bloggers are supposed be.  I should have a cute, dry erase calendar made from paint chips and modge podge that proudly displays my dinner plans for the next month.  And it should be cross-referenced with the contents of my uber-organized pantry.

But to be honest, that's not exactly how things go down at my house--though I do have a pretty well-organized pantry.

And in that pantry I always try to keep the dry ingredients for today's recipe, a little something I call Mediterranean Chicken.  (I know, it needs a better name.  I'm taking suggestions.)

Here's how I make it:

First I gather the aforementioned pantry ingredients, seen here:

 

Then I reach for one of these, a Rotisserie Chicken.

 

I try and pick up at least one Rotisserie chicken a week.  I use them in all sorts of recipes. They tend to be less expensive than uncooked chicken breasts (and they certainly meet that quick and easy criteria).

 

I simply remove the skin and carve out the breast.

 

Then I shred it up with my fingers and set it aside in a bowl.  And lest you think that I waste the rest, be assured, it all gets used.  I save the wings and legs for my daughters to eat and frequently make soup stock from whatever remains.  

Next I slice up some Kalamata olives.  (The amount depends on how much you like them.)  Now I know the jar says "pitted," and I hate to be a negative Nellie, but do not trust them!  The jar of pitted Kalamatas frequently contains at least one pit--and I have the crown to prove it!  So take the extra two seconds to slice your olives and double check for pits.  Your teeth will thank me.

Next I drain a can of artichoke hearts.  I buy the ones that are sliced into quarters.  

Then I add the Kalamatas and set them aside.

While those are draining I pour a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes into a saucepan.  I don't drain them, though I suppose that you could. 

Next add the artichoke hearts and olives to the tomatoes.

If you've ever visited my other recipes, you know that I come from a long line of non-measurers.  Today I have decided to be polite and at least attempt to measure my spices.  First I add roughly a tablespoon of dried oregano...

...then about a teaspoon of garlic powder.

I also put in a little freshly ground pepper but that picture seemed to have disappeared.  

(I don't add salt because the other ingredients are pretty salty on their own.)   

Next I add some capers 

(a task I could not do without the little jar opener doo-hickey pictured below).

Want your own doo-hickey?  See the "Products" tab above.

I'd say that was one heaping teaspoonful.

Then I stir the ingredients over medium heat until they're heated through.  

Yeah.  I probably should have used a larger pot...

While those are warming I make a cup of rice.

At this point I gather the rest of my ingredients: the chicken (which I reheat) and some feta cheese.

 I put the rice in the bottom of a large bowl...

...cover it with the reheated chicken...

...add the tomato mixture...

...and sprinkle with Feta cheese to taste.  (I'm from Wisconsin; I like a lot of cheese.)

And that's it!  Dinner is served.

 It's quick, it's easy and most of all, it's tasty.  

So perhaps you might consider adding it to your paint chip calendar?  I'd be so pleased if you did.