Greek Dinner Recipe for Four
Chicken with Feta and Olives, Rice, Beans, Baklava and More!
Feb 27, 2007
If you like the flavors of the Mediterranean, you’ll love this menu. Start off the evening with Mediterranean Salsa with Pita Chips, a delicious appetizer. There are a variety of flavors working together in Chicken with Feta & Olives and Garlicky Green Beans, so you’re free to keep the rice side dish simple. For dessert, whip up a surprisingly easy homemade baklava and serve with coffee.
Menu
Mediterranean Salsa with Pita Chips
Chicken with Feta & Olives
Rice
Garlicky Green Beans
Baklava
Mediterranean Salsa with Pita Chips
- 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 ½ cups)
- 1 large ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- ½ cucumber, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- ½ cup black olives, pitted and sliced
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano (or some dried oregano)
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill (or dried)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and gently mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to two days. Serve with pita chips
To make your own pita chips, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pita rounds in half. Cut each half again into fourths, then separate each piece to make two bite-sized chips. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each chip with olive oil. Lay the chips in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Dust with garlic powder, dill and paprika. Bake until crisp. Let cool and then store in a Ziplock bag.
Chicken with Feta and Olives
- 4 chicken breast halves
- 1 lemon
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- Kalamata olives or black olives, pitted and sliced in half
- 2 ounces feta cheese
Place chicken breasts in a shallow dish and squeeze ½ lemon over chicken pieces. Turn to coat chicken with lemon and set aside. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Melt butter in a frying pan and cook chicken over medium heat, turning until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Squeeze remaining half of the lemon into the frying pan, along with chicken broth and stir, loosening pan scrapings. Pour over chicken. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until chicken is done, about 30-45 minutes. Uncover and add olives. Top each chicken piece with crumbled feta cheese and parsley. Return to oven and continue baking, uncovered, until cheese is beginning to melt, about 10 minutes.
Garlicky Green Beans
- 1 pound fresh green beans
- ½ stick butter
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small can water chestnuts, sliced
Steam beans until crisp-tender. In a frying pan, melt butter and add mushrooms, garlic and water chestnuts. Cook over medium heat until mushrooms are cooked through. Add beans and toss to combine.
Baklava
- 1 pound chopped almonds and walnuts mixed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 16-ounce package phyllo dough
- 2 sticks butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Lightly butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and nuts together. Unroll phyllo dough and cut the stack in half (so pieces will fit in the baking dish). Cover phyllo with a damp dishtowel while you’re putting together the baklava, so it doesn’t dry out. Place 2 sheets of phyllo in bottom of the baking dish. Brush generously with melted butter. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all nut mixture is used. End with 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava lengthwise into four long rows, then cut diagonally nine rows, to make 36 diamond shapes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes, until golden and crisp. While baklava is baking, make the syrup. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon peel; reduce heat and simmer on low 20 minutes. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon the syrup over. Let cool completely before serving.
Tips:
- Chicken with Feta and Olives recipe can be adapted to cook on the stovetop. Instead of removing it from the pan, add the lemon juice and chicken broth, cover and cook over low heat until chicken is cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. Add olives, feta and parsley as instructed, cover, and continue cooking until cheese is beginning to melt.
- Kalamata olives and other delicious Greek olives can be found at many grocery store olive bars. There’s a highbrow philosophy that the only good olives are the ones with seeds, but many disagree. Pitting those little buggers is a chore you can do without, so look for the pitted kalamatas.
For more chicken recipes, see:
