Mediterranean Chicken on an Iowa Farm Table

Chicken served on an Iowa farm table is pretty common: fried, grilled, casserole, soup, salad, etc. Mediterranean? That doesn’t seem common at all. It isn’t. But I’ll return to that after a little background information.

Over the past few months, I have been helping my mom downsize her home. She has lived in that house for 25 years and had hosted family dinners, sleepovers for 9 grandchildren, visiting relatives from out-of-town, bridge clubs, a grandson’s entire baseball team in town for a tournament (two years in a row), countless Spite & Malice card games … you get the idea.

At the center of all this activity is the kitchen table. For most people a “kitchen table” is a small(er) table for everyday use and the “dining table” is the big table used primarily for gatherings of more than, say, 6 people. Not so for my mom, or most farm wives for that matter. Her kitchen table is as big as her dining table. It never has less than one extra leaf in it and, most often, two. The third leaf is readily available for last-minute expansion.

table service

This table serves. It serves 12 people as easily as it serves 2. It serves as her desk, sewing station, list-keeper, devotion venue, and quick-cup-of-coffee-for-a-visit spot. If I think about the number of dishes that were washed after being used on this table, my head spins. But then I think about the number of prayers that have been said around this table, and my mind finds peace.

When she decided to move into a smaller place, I knew right away she’d want to keep this table. I get that. I can honestly say I shed a few tears when I replaced my first table. It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t expensive. It wasn’t the table per se. It was the memories that were built, the relationships formed and the time that was spent around that table.

table tribute

Before she moved, I thought we needed to pay tribute to that table in that house. My mom and I asked my sisters-in-law to come to dinner. The four of us have a shared life. We’ve been together for over 30 years and very seldom do the four of us take time to sit down together. So I set Mom’s table with her wedding china, Candlewick glasses, anniversary wine glasses, tablecloth and napkins and made a meal to honor the laughter, tears, prayers and stories we’ve shared.

table time

For this meal, I wanted to make something out of the ordinary … something to show them, in my own way, how special they are to me. So what did I do? I used them as guinea pigs. I tried a new recipe.

Luckily, it worked out. Amazingly, it was fabulous!

This one-pan, stove-top chicken dish is too good not to share. Sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and capers provide the sweet and savory Mediterranean flavors in less than 30 minutes.

One Pan Mediterranean Chicken

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast see notes below
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8-12 oz artichoke hearts see notes below
• 6 oz sun-dried tomatoes drained, reserving the oil
• 3 tablespoons capers drained
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• lemon zest
• shredded Parmesan cheese
• fresh basil

Instructions

 

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Allow chicken to rest 20 minutes.
• Pour flour into a one-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add chicken pieces, seal and shake until chicken is coated in the flour.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken (do not crowd the pan) and brown until golden brown (about 4 minutes). Reduce the heat to medium. Turn the chicken over and brown the other side (3-4 minutes).
• Remove the chicken to a plate.
• Add artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, lemon juice, garlic and crushed red pepper to the pan and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, and stir in to combine.
• Push the vegetables to the sides of the skillet, and return the chicken to the pan. Cover the pan and cook the chicken and the vegetables on low-medium heat for about 5-10 more minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
• Spoon the "sauce" from the skillet over the chicken.
• Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with fresh lemon zest, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Notes

Artichoke Tip: Frozen or jarred artichoke hearts can be used for this recipe. If using frozen, make sure to thaw completely. In either case, drain well before adding to the hot pan.

Chicken Tip: For best results, use chicken breasts that are about 1.5" thick. This can be achieved by pounding the chicken (placed between two pieces of plastic wrap) with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to desired thickness. Extra thick breast pieces can be split in half lengthwise by running a sharp knife through the center, parallel to the cutting board.

Leftovers: If there are any leftovers, cube up the chicken and add it, the vegetable mixture, some chopped Kalamata olives and feta cheese to cooked pasta for a cold salad. This combination will also make a great Mediterranean pizza topping or panini-style sandwich!

For this special meal, I served the chicken with roasted asparagus, Onion Pie (you heard me), a fruit salad, and stuffed cucumber “cups”. For dessert, we had an  “Almond Joy” parfait, one of my mom’s favorite combinations.

Change is never easy. It is much easier, though, when you share it, and a good meal, with those you love most … around a table.