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Mediterranean Chicken and Asparagus (Whole30)

Tender herbed chicken served with an olive tapenade and soft boiled egg

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword 30 minute meal, chicken, chicken dinner, keto, low carb chicken, Paleo, whole30
Prep Time 13 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 17 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Author Linda Spiker

Ingredients

Olive Tapenade:

  • 10 pitted Kalamata olives, minced (make sure you buy pitted olives or you'll have to do it yourself)
  • 1 ounce pitted Castelvetrano olives, minced
  • 1 organic lemon, half juiced, half sliced
  • 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
  • 4 or 5 sprigs organic fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves removed from stems and chopped

The Chicken, Asparagus and Egg:

  • 1/4 cup kosher salt (for brine) This is optional but highly recommended.
  • 2 boneless skin on chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each (bigger than that tend to dry out during cooking)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 10 ounces organic asparagus, trimmed
  • 1-2 organic shallots, peeled sliced
  • 1 egg

Instructions

Brine chicken: put 1/4 cup kosher salt in a bowl of water, stir and add chicken breasts. Brine for at least 30 minutes or as long as all day.

Make the olive tapenade:

  1. Finely chop the olives, place in a small bowl. Finely chop, press, or grate enough garlic to measure ½ teaspoon, add to bowl. Strip the parsley leaves from the stems, chop the leaves, add to bowl.

    Cut lemon in half, juice one half into the bowl with olives, slice other half and then cut slices in half to make half moons. Set the lemon slices aside. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to olive mixture and stir. Set tapenade aside

Prep and cook the chicken and lemon

  1. Heat a cast iron skillet on high heat for three minutes. While pan heats, pat the chicken dry with a paper towel; season chicken generously with salt and pepper and the smoked paprika.

  2. Lower heat to medium and add olive oil to the pan, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. When olive oil shimmers add chicken breasts skin side down and cook for seven minutes. Turn chicken over and cook for 10 more minutes. Be sure to set your timers, you'll be busy.

While chicken cooks, prep vegetables and start egg.

  1. Peel the shallots and cut them crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Separate the slices into rings. Cut off the woody ends from asparagus. Set aside

  2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. When water comes to a rolling boil, turn down to a simmer and carefully lower egg into water with a spoon. Simmer for 7 minutes. Place a bowl of ice in the sink.

  3. When chicken is done, remove from pan and set on a plate, cover to keep warm. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to pan. Add asparagus, lemon slices and shallots to pan, season to taste with sea salt and pepper, cook for 4-5 minutes, using tongs to stir and turn.

  4. When timer goes off for egg, add water to the ice bowl and using a spoon lift egg out of water and into ice bath. Leave the egg to cool for 2 minutes.

  5. Place asparagus, lemon and shallots on two plates. Top with chicken breasts and spoon tapenade on down the center of chicken breasts and serve the rest on the side. Remove egg from ice bath, peel and cut in half. Put one half of the egg on each plate. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Note: If you wish your egg to be cooked through, simmer for 12 minutes instead of seven