I would add onion and garlic definitely and then you could also rub into the chicken some paprika and cumin.

Again with the onion and garlic you could also stir in some lemon juice and zest at the end.

Again with the onion and garlic, add the chicken (with the extra rub) and a splash of white wine which you can quickly cook off and then add your olives etc.

Anyway, just some suggestion.

That is way too bland. Beyond bifenton's suggestions you could change the olives to those oil soaked ones. Add rosemary or even lavender. I like lavender better.

Cara, I've been looking for a chicken stew/soup recipe that had whole cherry tomatoes ;0(. It would begin similarly to your dish but with the addition of garlic, onion, oregano. I'm going to have to try winging it one day and see if I can't recreate. Broth to finish cooking after taking the steps you did minus the roast time after browning. But the seasonings were pretty typically Mediterranean...oregano, garlic, olives with the chicken and fresh tomatoes.

Yes to some garlic and I would probably add a third to a half cup of white wine and chicken stock, and maybe some cream.

Yes, you could easily substitute oregano for the cumin/paprika. And the oregano would work nicely with the lemon if you wanted to go a little to the Greek side of taste.

Parmesan cheese, oregano, and basil? Or lemon, oregano, and the parm cheese

I would add white wine or chicken broth or both half and half, oregano, lemon, artichoke hearts, spinach leaves, and serve over rice topped with crumbled feta cheese.

Something you could also try for a little extra flavor is to first marinate the chicken breasts for a couple hours in olive oil, lemon juice, s&p, garlic, rosemary or oregano. Pat them dry before browning.

I recently made a dish with chicken that consisted of chicken breasts, garlic, olive oil, lemon, capers, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, butter, cream and angel hair pasta. Very chicken piccata-ish. I've also made it using parsley and basil instead of the spinach.

I would use kalamata olives and some chopped garlic and parsley with what you've got, but saute them separately then put on the chicken. We have a Nicoise sauce recipe we use on fish, but it can be used on chicken, as well.

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Garlic, onion, cumin, and because I like my food to have a kick, some fresh chopped chili peppers. If it needed to be brightened a bit, I'd add some lime juice.

Sriracha sauce, gives almost anything a nice little pop of heat.

These are all great ideas! I'll be trying some of these the next time I make the dish. Pretty easy, love that it's a one dish preparation. Thank you all!

Garlic, onion and cumin would be my choice, too. In restaurants, chefs often add that little pat of butter at the very end to give it a nice velvety taste.

Garlic, onion, oregano & a touch of red chili flakes. And a slosh of white wine.

carabubble, if it looks like it might appeal to you, this is another tasty one-dish prep with chicken.

Chicken With Artichokes

3 1/2 pounds chicken legs and thighs
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1 medium onion, cut into chunks about the same size as artichoke halves
1 pound white button mushrooms, halved
2 tablespoons brown or Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken, skin side up, in a baking pan large enough so the chicken is in a single layer. Placing them tightly in the pan is fine. Distribute onion, artichokes and mushrooms over the top. Combine olive oil, mustard, red wine, red wine vinegar, garlic, dried herbs, salt and pepper and pour over the chicken. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours basting every half hour.

Notes: I normally use all thighs for this. I've also substituted a scant tsp. of Herbs de Provence for the basil, thyme and tarragon.

Raye, I know that Sriracha is a very popular ingredient, but I find it too vinegary for my taste buds. I like the heat part of it, but not the sourness.

Definitely use Kalamata olives- I find those black Spanish olives have about as much flavour as cardboard.

I would add about half a cup of chopped onion and 2 or 3 cloves of chopped garlic to the pan when I browned the chicken, I wold drain the olives and halve them and add the capers and halve the cherry tomatoes and add them before I put it into the oven and add a generous chiffonade of fresh basil and about 1/4 cup of marsala wine....bake for about 10 minutes at 400, top with a few shavings of parmesan and return to oven for 3 to 4 minutes.

I wholeheartedly agree with those who say to use fresh (perhaps Kalamata) black olives. In my opinion, those canned things are just plain nasty. "Real" olives (yes, I know the canned ones are real .... but ...) would add a delicious kick, I think. Other than that, if you don't love the recipe, why keep trying it? Too many excellent things out there to try out.

I wholeheartedly agree with those who say to use fresh (perhaps Kalamata) black olives. In my opinion, those canned things are just plain nasty. "Real" olives (yes, I know the canned ones are real .... but ...) would add a delicious kick, I think.

Very hard to find fresh black olives unless you own a tree. The Kalamata olives I find have either been preserved in oil or vinegar. Those that you purchase in bulk in the store have probably been shipped to the store in sealed plastic barrels although some sources are now using square containers but unless you pick from the tree they have been processed in some method.

maybe a sprinkle of chiffonade cilantro at the end... or green onions ....

I think Suzique means the Kalamata olives you get from bulk containers in specialist groceries. You can't eat freshly picked olives, they're disgusting.

I've had decent jarred olives. Most in the small tins like my mother buys are lacking in flavor. My market has a barrel bar so I usually take that route.

3 minute PBS quick history for maifleur,

Yes, Colleenoz, that's what I meant. Thanks for clarifying.

TJ olives in the pack are great. watch the pits

Hey, I know you can not eat fresh olives but some of the other people on here mentioned using fresh olives. I was laughed at deservedly so when I picked a handful of olives off a tree next to my dorm. The laugher carefully explained the process to me.

If you have a access to one of those plastic jars, again at least those in my area, they have a vacuum hiss when opened. That tells me that at least those jars have undergone some type of canning process.

I would add garlic, chicken broth, some white wine or not, and lemon juice and simmer the chicken in it and call it chicken piccata. Couple tablespoons of butter at the end.

Sounds like you are already on your way to success! With the addition of a few ingredients and techniques you can totally take this dish to the next level.

After searing your chicken breast, throw a couple of cloves of chopped garlic along with a pinch of chili flake into the pan. Lightly sauté the garlic and chili flake until aromatic.

Add about a 1/4 cup of white wine to the pan and reduce by about 1/2. Return the the chicken to the pan with the olives and add to the oven.

After you finished cooking the chicken with the tomatoes, finish with a little bit of lemon zest and freshly chopped parsley for added freshness. This should result in an ultra flavorful dish that will keep you coming back for more.

- Chef Owen, Hestan Cue