Chicken in Lemon Sauce with Olives

4.28 from 36 votes

Chicken in Lemon Sauce with Olives is an easy meal bursting with the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean. These Greek style chicken thighs in a silky lemon sauce are on repeat all year long at our house.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: servings

Calories: 487kcal

Author: Sue Moran

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs skin on
2 small chicken breasts skin on
olive oil for brushing
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
4 large egg yolks room temperature
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice strained
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup black olives I used oil cured
fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

Set oven to 400F
Arrange the chicken pieces in an oiled baking pan and brush liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and bake for about 35 minutes, or until done through. Baste several times during the cooking, and finish under the broiler if you need more color.
While the chicken is cooking, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl and add the lemon juice. Set aside.
Heat the chicken stock to boiling in a saucepan, and then add about 1/2 cup of the hot stock to the egg yolk mixture, adding it in a slow stream, while whisking. This will get the yolks' temperature up without scrambling them. Then add that back into the pan with the rest of the chicken stock, and heat gently on medium, stirring constantly, until the mixture just begins to get silky and thicken. Don't bring it to a boil, or even a simmer. Remove from heat.
Pour the sauce on the bottom of a casserole bit enough to hold all the chicken. Arrange the cooked chicken on top of the sauce. Scatter the olives and thyme over everything and serve right away.

Notes

This Chicken in Lemon Sauce with Olives isn't exactly a 30-minute meal, but it's darned close. Get the oven preheating right away and you can have this on the table in 40 minutes. We served it with quick cooking couscous and pan roasted asparagus.
If for any reason your sauce curdles slightly, just strain it. But you shouldn't have any trouble if you keep your heat moderate and stir or whisk constantly.

Nutrition