This simple low carb chicken dish is easy to make and packed with great Mediterranean flavours. It’s quickly becoming a family favourite in our house!
Convenience food really isn’t an option when you embark on a specialized diet. Oh sure, there are plenty of companies out there trying to cash in on whatever the diet trend of the moment is, making pre-packaged items that supposedly fit with the program. But often on closer inspection, they aren’t a much healthier alternative. They may meet the overall idea, but then contain any number other questionable ingredients. I certainly know this to be the case with the low carb, gluten-free way of life. There are very few packaged foods or snacks out there that meet my stringent standards. And with a family of five, you know I am always on the lookout.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned after five years on a healthy, carb-conscious diet, it’s that cooking from scratch does not have to be time-consuming or daunting. Okay, so you’re not going to whip up a 5-layer coconut cream cake in 3o minutes, but you wouldn’t be able to do that no matter what your diet was like. What you can do is get a healthy, family-friendly dinner on the table with minimal prep work. And canned foods are one great way to accomplish this.
I don’t know about you, but my pantry is always filled with any number of canned goods. So filled, in fact, that we moved several boxes of cans all the way across the country with us. I like to have a well stocked pantry so that any time I want to whip up a quick dinner, I don’t have to head out to the store. There are always diced tomatoes, as well as tomato paste and sometimes low sugar tomato sauce. I almost always have a can of artichokes in there, and my girls have become fans of sliced black olives, so there is usually a can or two of those as well. We also keep plenty of tomatillos, green chiles, and jalapeños around, for when the Mexican-food cravings strike. And I always have a good supply of pumpkin puree and canned coconut milk for baking.
So when I was invited to partake in Cans Get You Cooking with Safeway and Albertsons, it was a no-brainer. Canned foods make it so easy to get a healthy meal on the table without resorting to packaged convenience foods. This easy low carb Mediterranean Chicken is proof-positive of that. Grab yourself some chicken thighs, a few canned goods including tomatoes, artichokes and olives, and some cheese. Dinner is done in 3o minutes. Have kids who balk at the artichokes and olives? Just do tomato sauce and call it pizza chicken! They will gobble it up. Cans really do get you cooking!
Check out Cans Get You Cooking for more great recipe ideas.
Easy Mediterranean Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 medium boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- 1 14- ounce can quartered artichoke hearts drained
- 1 2.5- ounce can sliced black olives drained
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
- 2 cups shredded Italian cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering and hot. Sprinkle chicken all over with salt and pepper. Add chicken thighs to pan and brown both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer thighs to a large 9x13 casserole dish and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle with artichoke hearts, black olives, and diced tomatoes.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Turn oven to broil and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, to lightly brown cheese on top.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh basil.
