Italian Chicken Bake with Artichokes, Olives over Lentils

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: -20 minutes

Why we love it:

As written, this dish is for lentils topped with chicken and veggies, but another great way to serve this is as a picnic style salad. And, it’s great at room temperature. Cook the lentils and chicken, but then dice or shred the meat. Dice the veggies a little smaller and toss it all together and serve in a big bowl. Perhaps toss in some greens like chopped lettuce, arugula, or kale.

Print this recipe

Ingredients

1 cup Green Lentils
3 cups Water
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt (divided)
1¹⁄₄ pounds Chicken Breast (skin on would be nice here)
3 Tablespoons Dried Italian Seasoning
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided)
1 Lemon
1 15-ounce can Artichoke Hearts (drained, and cut in quarters if not already)
1 15-ounce can Green Olives, Pitted (drained)
2 Heirloom Tomatos
1 teaspoon Unsalted Butter
¹⁄₄ teaspoon Dijon Mustard

Cooking Instructions

1. preheat the oven to 425 degrees

If using boneless skinless chicken, heat to only 375 degrees.
2. LENTILS

Place the lentils, water, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a pot and set over high heat and cover it. Bring to a full boil. Once boiling, stir and reduce to medium low, so the water is still simmering. Keep it covered and time for 16 minutes. Return to the pot once or twice during this time to stir.
3. CHICKEN

Line a baking sheet and place chicken on it with space in between. Evenly rub the chicken breasts with the 3 Tablespoons Italian seasoning, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Zest about ¾ of the lemon right over the chicken breasts, reserve the rest for now.

Place chicken near the top of the oven and roast for about 18 minutes. (If you have thinner skinless pieces, perhaps only 15 minutes, if you have very large pieces consider cutting them in half first or baking for up to 25 minutes until done).
4. ARTICHOKES + OLIVES + TOMATOES

While the chicken and lentils are cooking, drain the artichokes. Cut them in half or quarters if they aren’t already cut. Drain the olives.

Slice the tomatoes into thick wedges and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
5. FINISH UP

When the lentils are done, they’ll be tender but ideally holding their shape. If there is any water leftover in the pot you can drain it out. Stir the butter into the lentils. Add the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil, the rest of the lemon zest, then cut and squeeze the lemon juice in. Stir in the ¼ teaspoon of dijon.

Plate the lentils and top with a piece of chicken. Scatter the artichokes, olives, and tomatoes evenly around the plates to serve.

To serve this family style, you could add the artichokes, olives and diced tomatoes to the lentils to make a more casual, one pot presentation.

Check out our new features!

Substitutions

LENTILS:

rice, quinoa, farro
DAIRY FREE:

simply omit the butter
CHICKEN BREAST:

This is a perfect place for chicken thighs or legs, just cook them a little bit longer
DIJON:

if you aren't a fan, simply omit. Perhaps stir in a little miso to give some depth of flavor to the lentils