Description
A flavorful and hearty one-pot dish featuring golden-browned chicken breasts simmered with lentils, kale, olives, and a bright touch of lemon. This schmaltzy lentil recipe combines earthy spices like sumac and turmeric with savory chicken stock, resulting in a comforting meal perfect for any weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Cooking
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 skin-on chicken breasts, seasoned
Vegetables & Flavorings
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 500ml low-salt chicken stock
- 500g cooked lentils, preferably tomato flavored
- 125g kale, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, half sliced and half juiced
- 50g green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
- Small handful of parsley, finely chopped, to serve
Instructions
- Brown the Chicken: Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish or deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts all over and place them skin-side down in the pan. Cook for 6-8 minutes until the skin is well browned and golden. Flip the breasts and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until lightly golden on the other side. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this point. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Sauté Onion and Garlic: In the same pan, add the finely sliced red onion and chopped garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until softened and fragrant. Stir in the sumac and turmeric spices and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes to release their aromas.
- Deglaze and Combine Ingredients: Pour in the chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the cooked lentils, chopped kale, lemon slices, and chopped green olives. Stir to combine everything well and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer with Chicken: Nestle the browned chicken breasts back into the pan, skin-side up. Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce slightly and the chicken to cook through fully. Ensure the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature.
- Finish and Serve: Season the stew with the fresh lemon juice and some freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with the chopped parsley before serving for a fresh, herbaceous finish.
Notes
- Using skin-on chicken breasts helps develop rich flavor during browning.
- Tomato-flavored cooked lentils add a nice depth, but plain cooked lentils work as well.
- Adjust the lemon juice at the end to your taste for brightness.
- This dish is best enjoyed fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and gently reheated.
- For a vegetarian version, omit the chicken and use vegetable stock.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: chicken lentils recipe, Mediterranean chicken stew, lentils with chicken and olives, lemon chicken lentils
