Juicy Mediterranean Roasted Chicken Recipe Has Crazy Ingredients, But They Work by Donna John

Roasted chicken is sitting on my dinner table quite often. It was one of the first "recipes" I learned when adulting kicked in. For years, I just cooked my three-ingredient roasted chicken recipe made with Morton Nature's Seasoning, which was a staple in my mom's kitchen (mine, too, even now). But over the years I've been branching out and trying new ways to bake a chicken. This juicy Mediterranean roasted chicken is the latest – and it was a winner chicken dinner.

This baked chicken recipe was inspired by leftover Mediterranean olive oil bread dip. I found myself staring at the airtight container and thinking how good that would be as a chicken marinade. Crazy idea or genius? Genius! The olive oil is full of strong-flavored ingredients – ingredients that you wouldn't normally associate with a marinade – that add richness, flavor and texture to the chicken.

To make this Mediterranean chicken dinner you will need the following ingredients from your fridge and pantry: a whole chicken, olive oil (check out the health benefits of olive oil), balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, sumac and a lemon for zesting.

Serve this roasted chicken for dinner with your favorite side dishes. I served mine with Old Bay roasted potatoes, picked red onions and a fresh salad.

My suggestion is to make the olive oil bread dip and enjoy some of it with bread before using the leftovers for this recipe. It's a win-win.

Cuisine: Mediterranean
Prep Time: 10 minutes plus time to marinate
Cook Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken 

Marinade

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes, minced
• 1 tablespoon kalamata olives, minced
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• zest of 1 lemon

Recipe Notes

• I cooked half of a chicken, but did not reduce the amount of marinade.

• If you're marinating the chicken longer than 30 minutes, put it in the fridge.

• If the bits in the marinade start to get too dark, cover the chicken with aluminum foil.

• If you want the chicken to cook fast, cut it in half. You could also cook it spatchcock style.

• Nutritional information for this recipe includes the full amount of the marinade ingredients. Depending on marinating time, ingredients, cook time, etc., the actual amount of the marinade consumed will vary.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put all the marinade ingredients into a food storage bag. Add the chicken. Seal and squish around to thoroughly coat the chicken.
   
2. Let the chicken marinate for as long as you can, but as least 30 minutes.
   
    
3. When ready to cook, put the chicken and all the marinade into a baking dish. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper.
   
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes, depending on size of chicken (chicken is cooked at 165 degrees F internal temperature on a meat thermometer).
   
5. Let the chicken rest a few minutes before cutting and serving.
   
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by HappyForks. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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