Chicken and Olives Recipe Braised in Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven

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Mediterranean Chicken and Olives Recipe by Angela Roberts

Lodge provided the Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven for this post. All opinions are my own. 

Do you like the idea of about fifteen minute prep and a dinner that tastes like you spent hours. This chicken and olives recipe addresses many things busy cooks are looking for.

  • Easy. It takes five minutes to cut up carrots, onion and lemon, ten minutes to brown the chicken.
  • Healthy: This is paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, low carb.
  • Flavorful: This is a dish I’d serve in a restaurant to get my customers to return.
  • Beautiful: Yes.
  • Comfort Food: Does all comfort food have to be deep fried and full of cheese? No.
  • Frugal. You can cut up a whole chicken and stretch this into two dinners or use affordable chicken thighs. Don’t purchase a cut up chicken. Purchase a whole chicken which is much cheaper and ask the butcher in the store to cut it up for you. But, buy healthy chicken, organic if you can.


The Chicken and Olives recipe is from the cookbook, Mediterranean Paleo Cooking, which I recently reviewed here. If you like this, you’ll want to read the review.

I was immediately drawn to the recipe on the cover because I love anything with olive and lemon.

Paleo Chicken and Olives Recipe in Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven by Angela Roberts

The Process for Chicken and Olives Recipe

The Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven 7 Quart is a Great Size for Braising Chicken

I made the entire dish in the same braising dutch oven provided by Lodge. I met the Lodge people at food event in Nashville and asked if I could work with them. I’m a huge fan of cast iron and this makes my 13th cast iron addition. I use them all. I use at least one every single day. I’ve visited the Lodge Factory store in south Pittsburgh, Tennessee. If you get a chance go shopping there.

This is now my favorite dutch oven and I have three. It was roomy enough to brown several thighs at once, and then move over and add the vegetables. It holds heat well, and most of this dish was made on a very low simmer. You could put the  Lodge dutch oven in the oven at a low temperature of 300 degrees for a dish like this. You can also make this dish in a crock pot, but you would still have to brown the chicken and sauté the vegetables first.

The Oval Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven comes in this beautiful white color.

Chicken and Olives Recipe Braised in Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven by Angela Roberts

  • Porcelain enamel interior and exterior
  • Self-basting cover with handle traps in heat, moisture and nutrients
  • 7-Quart capacity
  • Stainless steel knob
  • Can be placed in oven, refrigerator, freezer

Chicken and Olives uses a Whole Lemon with Saffron and Cumin, Resulting in a very aromatic dish.

The addition of cumin and saffron adds sultry flavor. The recipe calls for boiling the olives for a while before adding them, but I skipped that, because I wanted the brine in the dish. The broth that remains is so good. You could use bread to sop it up or some rice. If you want to eat paleo, try this mashed cauliflower, which is what I did.

Mashed Cauliflower recipe here

Mediterranean Chicken and Olives, Mashed Cauliflower by Angela Roberts

This chicken dish has amazing flavor and it’s so easy to make that I’m making it all over again this week!

You Might Love these One Pot Chicken Recipes from Spinach Tiger

One Pot Chicken, Sausage, Kale and White Beans

Chicken  with Peppers and Onions

Chicken Thighs with Cauliflower

Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

A Cookbook, A Dutch Oven, a Chicken and Olives Recipe

Chicken with Olives adapted from Mediterranean Paleo Cooking by Caitlyn Weeks, Nabil Bourmar and Diane SanFilippo
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Chicken with Olives and Lemon
Cuisine: Algerian
Servings: 4
Author: Angela Roberts

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter or ghee or olive oil for dairy free
  • 1 cut up chicken I used eight thighs
  • fine sea salt
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 cups pitted green olives less if you prefer
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  • In Dutch oven, melt fat over medium heat.
  • Dry chicken. Season with salt and pepper and add to the pan.
  • Cook for ten minutes. I started with skin side down for about 6 minutes or until browned. Turn over.
  • Add saffron and cumin, continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
  • Add onion and garlic and sauté for another two minutes.
  • Chicken should be brown; onions translucent.
  • Add broth to pot and cover. Bring to boil and reduce heat.
  • Remove lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
  • In the cookbook directions, they ask to boil the olives separately, but I like the flavor of the olives and Add olives and carrots, and half of lemon, sliced. and cook another 20 minutes or until carrots are cooked through.
  • Squeeze the other half of lemon into the broth.
  • Serve with the sauce and garnish with cilantro.

Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe,  please tag me #spinachtiger.

If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo


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14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I found your recipe, searching images on the net. The picture got my attention, the recipe dragged me in, and the dish is absolutely wonderful. This one is going into my recipe book for future dinners.

    As for the cast iron, I’m afraid I have you beat. Moved temporarily to NJ and have 13 pieces there. My house in Indiana has another 10 pieces. They are the go-to on a daily basis. Thanks!

  2. Pingback: Chicken Recipes Dutch Oven – Recipes Food
  3. Made this dish last night! It was so delicious! The recipe will be going into my meal plan list. I prepared it in my Dutch oven (not the one recommended) and finished it in my oven for one hour at 400 degrees.

    1. Hi Ladies,

      I am getting ready to make this dish in my 7qt. oval dutch oven. This will my first time cooking with a dutch oven. I too would like to finish this dish in the oven but not exactly sure at what point this should happen. Would I place in oven at step 7 or step 8 and how long?
      Thank you in advance.

  4. I purchased one of these three years ago; your recipe has me pulling it out to be used for the first time. Thank you!

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