Salty, savory and full of fresh flavors! This Greek inspired baked chicken with feta, olives and spring veggies is an easy weeknight meal.
I love Greek food so much! After visiting Greece last year, I've really been missing many of the fresh flavours. This feta chicken bake is inspired by some of my favourite Greek dishes. However, it's not a traditional Greek recipe, so note that I may use non-traditional ingredients or techniques.
Alongside this baked chicken with feta, I paired some cherry tomatoes, asparagus and olives for extra veggies and healthy fats. There's nothing I love more than enjoying veggies in the spring months, and what better dish to have them in than this?
I'm also a fan of this recipe because it's pretty minimal. We only have 15 minutes of hands-on time and it's made completely in one dish, so hooray for little dishwashing! Since this feta chicken bake is so easy to whip together, it's truly an ideal weeknight meal.
Try it out this week and let me know your thoughts!
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs
- Cherry tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Dried oregano
- Garlic
- Asparagus
- Feta cheese
- Kalamata olives
- Lemon
- Fresh basil
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
In a 9x13 inch oven safe dish, add chicken thighs and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried oregano and pressed garlic. Mix everything together using tongs until chicken and tomatoes are well coated in the spices and olive oil.
Add asparagus, feta cheese and olives, and mix again.
Arrange everything in a single layer in your dish and gently press lemon slices evenly throughout the dish.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 170F.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare orzo, quinoa, rice or potatoes for a fully balanced meal.
Once baked, garnish with fresh basil and serve with your carbohydrate of choice.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free. If you serve this feta chicken bake with a carbohydrate, make sure that is gluten-free.
To make dairy-free: Daiya and Violife have a dairy free feta cheese alternative. I have not personally tested these options, so I can’t comment on how they will bake. If you have tried them, leave me a comment on how it went!
Missing an ingredient? Try these:
- Chicken thighs: You can definitely use chicken breast instead if you prefer. Make sure you cut the chicken breast into 4 inch pieces first.
- Veggies: I chose asparagus and cherry tomatoes because they add a spring-y freshness and pop of colour, but any veggie works! I think eggplant, zucchini and broccoli would also work well. Depending on the veggie you choose, you may need to adjust the cooking times.
- Olives: I know they aren't for everyone- omit if you don't like them.
Equipment
- 9x13 oven safe dish
Storage
This baked chicken with feta can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Unfortunately, it is not freezer-friendly as the cherry tomatoes do not freeze well.
Top Tip
When arranging everything in your dish, it will be quite full. Try to avoid having anything covering or fully overlapping the chicken as much as possible- this will help the chicken evenly cook.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe contains lots of protein, veggies and healthy fats. I like to pair it with a carbohydrate like orzo, quinoa, or potatoes.
You can, however I recommend sticking with a casserole dish if you have the option. The tomatoes will begin to soften as then bake which causes some of the tomato juice to spill out. This is why having higher edges on your pan is a good idea to avoid any spills!
Yes! I know most recipes typically will have you season your chicken with salt and pepper as a basic starting point, however I really wanted to use as few ingredients as possible in this recipe. I find the feta cheese and olives are quite salty, and the oregano adds the perfect amount of spice. However, as always feel free to adjust the seasonings as desired.
More Weeknight Meal Recipes
If you liked this baked chicken with feta, you'll love these other easy weeknight meals:
- Healthy Greek Turkey Meatballs with Feta
- Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowls
- Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Sheet Pan Sesame Chicken with Veggies
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make this baked chicken with feta, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Greek Inspired Baked Chicken With Feta
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 bunch of asparagus chopped (or 3 cups of any vegetables of choice)
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup sliced kalamata olives
- 1 lemon sliced
- Fresh basil for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- In a 9x13 inch oven safe dish, add chicken thighs and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried oregano and pressed garlic. Mix everything together using tongs until chicken and tomatoes are well coated in the spices and olive oil.
- Add asparagus, feta cheese and olives, and mix again. Arrange everything in a single layer in your dish and gently press lemon slices evenly throughout the dish.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through (the internal temperature of the chicken should be 170F). While the chicken is cooking, prepare orzo, quinoa, rice or potatoes for a fully balanced meal.
- Once baked, garnish with fresh basil and serve with your carbohydrate of choice.
Linda Bernasconi says
Loved the flavors of this dish! Easy to make especially using one dish! Thank you!
Rachel says
Loved the flavour of this! I only had chicken breasts and I cooked them a little too long and they started to get a bit dry. But aside from my incorrect cooking times it was a delicious recipe! I’ll be sure to try with chicken thighs when I make this next
Laura says
Nicole, thank you so much for a super easy and delicious meal prep recipe!
I doubled the recipe to yield 8 portions, and cooked up some coconut jasmine rice in the instant pot while everything was in the oven.
This is the first of your recipes that I've tried, and for sure won't be the last. I didn't add any additional salt/pepper as you suggested and agree that the feta and olives give enough flavor to the dish. Only modifications I made was to reduce the oregano to 3tbsp (for a double recipe) and increase the olives as I'm a big olive fan.
Thanks again!
Nicole Addison says
Hi Laura,
Thank you SO much for sharing I’m so glad you liked this one! The extra olives sound like a GREAT addition!
Hannah Miller says
How would you modify cook time for chicken breasts rather than thighs? We are a white meat family 😊
Nicole Addison says
Hi Hannah,
Great question!
For chicken breast I recommend one of two options:
- if you choose to keep your chicken breasts whole: baking for an addition 15-20 minutes or until it is fully cooked!
- if you would like to keep the cook time the same, just slice the chicken into about 2 inch cubes and bake as the recipe states!
Hopefully this helps
Nicole