Greek Chicken with Feta, Olive, and Tomato Salad

The moment I was contacted by the Culinary Content Network, which is a subsidiary of The Daily Meal, to enter the chicken contest by Plated, a delivery company that specializes in quick, chef-inspired, gourmet meals, my mind went straight Greek.

When I think of simplicity, and full flavor, I always think of Greek Food. Being limited to 10-12 ingredients total – from protein to spices.

I needed to create a dish that was going to pack a whopper of flava, and not only blow the judges away, but a dish the home cook could easily prepare, with grand results!

We all know, I am all about the flavor, this dish is a true inspiration for all my flavor loving people out there...

Start out by preparing the rice first, make sure you rinse and drain your rice a few times. Then prepare a pot of boiling, salted water.

Stir in your rice, cover, reduce heat to simmer and allow the rice to cook 15-17 minutes while you prepare your chicken and salad.

Next, we move on to our quick salad.

Slice the tomatoes in half, add the feta, olives, lemon zest, olive oil and a teaspoon of the seasoning blend, mix well and set aside.

Lastly, it's chicken time. I used boneless, skinless, chicken breast because it's a quick cook piece of meat!

Season chicken with a little olive oil, sprinkle remaining seasoning blend, garlic, lemon juice and let's get to cooking.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a skillet over medium heat, add chicken and saute for about 4-6 minutes per side.

Place chicken over hot rice, top with salad, any remaining pan juices, and eat up!

Quick, simple, and full of flava!

Greek Chicken with Feta, Olive, and Tomato Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2


Ingredients:

2 Chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup olives
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 lemon, zested, juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon oregano, dried, crushed
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 
1 cup rice
1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

Mix oregano, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and onion powder together, set aside.

Prepare rice by adding 1 1/2 cups of water to pot, bring to boil, add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Rinse and drain rice at least 3 times under cold water. Stir rice into boiling water, cover with lid, reduce heat and simmer 15-17 minutes.

While rice cooks, prepare salad and chicken.

In a medium bowl, add tomatoes, feta, olives, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of seasoning blend and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, mix well and set aside.

Rinse chicken and pat dry.

Season chicken with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, remaining spices, minced garlic, lemon juice, mix well, and set aside.

Add remaining 2 tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook chicken uncovered for about 4-6 minutes per side, are until chicken reaches 170 degrees F, and juices run clear. 

Serve chicken over hot rice, topped with Feta, Olive and Tomato Salad, pour pan juices on top. Enjoy!