Mediterranean Chicken Bites

Wednesday 2 December 2020








Mediterranean Chicken bites is a delicious, quick and easy way to get your chicken fix, mid-week.  This chicken always turns out tender and is fabulously tasty. 



Not only that but it is quick, quick, QUICK to make! Aside from the initial time of marinating the chicken, the cook time is a short 10 minutes.  That's because the chicken is cut into small tasty bites.









Each bite is coated liberally in a mix of Mediterranean herbs and some olive oil and marinated for about half an hour prior to cooking it.



It is a recipe I loosely adapted from on I found in The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook by Mary Younkin. I love Mary's books.  They are filled with lots of simple and yet incredibly delicious recipes that are very family friendly!




Mediterranean Chicken Bites






 I was a tiny bit afraid that my father would turn his nose up at this. He is a man of very simple tastes. For years my mother was only allowed to use salt and black pepper.  



Surprisingly he didn't say too much about it. He just ate it.  He did dip each piece in ketchup however.  Men!



Mediterranean Chicken Bites




Mary recommends marinating the chicken in the herb and olive oil mixture for ten minutes. I marinated them for a bit longer as I felt it would enhance the flavours even more.


I also added some garlic and onion powder for a bit more oomph. (Now you know why I was worried about my father, lol)



Mediterranean Chicken Bites




He always worries if he eats anything with garlic in it that he is going to have bad breath. In all truth after he leaves here, he goes straight home and watches the news, falls asleep in his chair and then goes to bed. 

 

So, nobody would actually be smelling his breath except for us. As we ate garlic as well, we probably wouldn't notice.



Mediterranean Chicken Bites




Unless he is having a midnight tryst with someone, I don't think his garlic breath is going to be a problem. But he does make me smile. 


 
I think we got the most reaction out of Dan. He looked at it and said what the heck is that!  Oh my!


 

Mediterranean Chicken Bites




Men are often quite resistant to change of any kind.  I get that. I am not fond of change either in most things. But I am open to trying new flavours and things when it comes to cooking.



So long as my protein comes from a source with fins, legs, etc.  I am not overly fussy about things reptilian or that crawl on their belly.


Mediterranean Chicken Bites

 



For instance you would never get me to try frog's legs. I don't care how much you tell me they taste like chicken.  And snake is definitely off my menu.



I also won't knowingly eat insects or rodents.  I know in some spots of the world these are great delicacies, but not in my little world.



Mediterranean Chicken Bites

 




Having said that, I am open to most other new flavours. Whew!



Mary likes to do this with chicken thighs.  I have to say I found chicken thighs to be a bit greasy and if I make it again (and I will) I would make it with breasts. This is just a personal preference.






I added some butter to the olive oil when I fried it.  I find that butter gives a lovely flavour to things and it also helps it to brown nicely without it overcooking.



And when you are talking about small bits of chicken, overcooking it is a very real threat.  Overcooked chicken is not nice.





I was very impressed with the way this cooks up so quickly. If you are a working person, this could be invaluable for when you get home from work and are tired but still want to get something delicious on the table.


If you make the effort to cut the chicken up the night before and have the herbs all ready to go, it would be a very quick and effortless option on the night.


Mediterranean Chicken Bites




We are so lucky these days and have a variety of quick side dish options available to us. I love the pouched of ready cooked rice.


If you opened one of those and popped it into the microwave along with some steam pouches of vegetables you could have supper on the table in not much more than half an hour, which would include the marinating time for the chicken.


Mediterranean Chicken Bites

 



I think these herbs would also work well with cubes of salmon or cod, or even cubes of pork.  That makes this quite a versatile recipe all told.


Tonight we are having the leftovers chopped up even smaller and then fried with some rice as a stir fried rice side dish. I will add some peas and corn, and possibly some scrambled egg.







Tonight Pops has requested Shake and Bake Chicken Wings.  He loves that "Coated Chicken" as he calls it. The fried rice  should go well with them.



Mary suggests serving the chicken bites with pasta or rice. I think it would also go very well in a hot wrap with some shredded lettuce and chopped tomato, and perhaps a garlic mayo sauce.



Mediterranean Chicken Bites

 




There I go again with the garlic!  It does sound good however!! Or maybe with some Tzatziki sauce.



I think it would also make a great salad topper. A hot salad. I love salad in any way shape or form. Hot, cold and in between.









Don't you love this plate? Its one of my sisters.  Its just a small platter, but so very pretty. She has such a lovely collection of dishes and things she has collected.


I can't wait to go yard sale-ing with her.  Bring on Spring, hopefully Covid  free!



Mediterranean Chicken Bites

Print
Mediterranean Chicken Bites
Yield: 4
Author: Marie Rayner
prep time: 30 Mincook time: 10 Mintotal time: 40 Min
A nice and flavourful way to cook chicken that cooks up nice and easy. You can cook either chicken breasts or chicken thighs this way.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (thighs or breasts)
  • 2 TBS olive oil, divided
  • 1 TBS butter
  • 1 tsp dried oregano flakes
  • 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp dried basil leaves
  • 1 tsp dried parsley leaves
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, rubbed to break it up
  • 1/2 tsp dried marjoram leaf
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • the juice of a lemon

Instructions

  1. Trim any fat off your chicken and then cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.
  2. Whisk together 1 TBS of the olive oil along with all of the dried herbs. Add the chicken cubes, tossing them to coat them in the oil and herb mixture. Leave to marinate for about 1/2 an hour or so.
  3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet, along with the butter. When the butter starts to foam add the chicken pieces.
  4. Stir fry and cook the chicken until it just begins to brown in places and is cooked through. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over top, give it another good stir to make sure the lemon flavour gets all the way through.
  5. Scoop into a serving dish and serve immediately.
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Mediterranean Chicken Bites

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3 comments

  1. This sounds really delicious - I can recall eating something with these flavours when we were in Greece - that garlic, olive oil, oregano, lemon combination is very common there and you are right in that it suits fish and lamb as well as chicken. It's even lovely as a marinade for tofu or halloumi.

    I shuddered at your dad dipping it in tomato ketchup. It reminds me of the time we ate at a fancy restaurant with my father-in-law. My husband had ordered a very expensive bottle of shiraz to have with the meal and we were horrified when dad poured himself half a glass and topped it with Fanta! But as you say, we all have our own tastes.

    I think this would be lovely with your rice from yesterday or wrapped in a pita bread with Tzatziki and fresh salad (like a chicken gyros). You could also add a little greek yoghurt to the marinade if you have chicken thighs just to tenderise them a bit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would indeed Marie. Love your suggestions! My dad loves his ketchup. I think he uses half of it with every meal. Not bad for someone who likes simple things, lol. It makes me smile! I cannot imagine shiraz with fanta, ugh!! xoxo

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  2. This is the perfect time to try something new Laurie! I am looking forward to a normal spring also! Bring it on! xoxo

    ReplyDelete

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