Dump-and-Bake Mediterranean Chicken

Overhead shot of mediterranean chicken in a bowl of pasta with herbs surrounding the bowl

Print Pin

5 from 3 votes

Dump-and-Bake Mediterranean Chicken

This healthy Dump-and-Bake Mediterranean Chicken is an easy dinner recipe with only 10 minutes of prep!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Chicken with Olives, Greek Chicken Recipe, Mediterranean Chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Marinating Time 2

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 300kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
1 cup Caesar salad dressing (creamy or vinaigrette style will both work, but I prefer a vinaigrette for a smoother sauce)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup marinara sauce
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, drained
½ cup pitted large green olives, halved
½ cup pitted kalamata olives
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
For serving: cooked couscous or orzo; chopped fresh parsley, fresh dill, fresh thyme, or fresh basil

Instructions

Place chicken and Caesar dressing in a large Ziploc bag. Toss to coat and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Remove chicken from marinade and shake off any excess sauce. Discard dressing in bag. Place chicken in prepared dish. Season with salt and pepper. Top chicken with marinara sauce and tomatoes. Arrange olives around the chicken.
Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through).
Garnish with crumbled feta cheese and fresh herbs. Serve with couscous or orzo, if desired.

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate, assuming that you only use about 1/4 cup of the Caesar dressing in the final dish. Nutrition facts will vary depending on the quantity and brand of ingredients that you select.

I use chicken breast tenderloins in this recipe because they cook quickly; however, you can substitute with regular boneless, skinless chicken breasts or with chicken thighs. You will just need to increase the baking time to at least 45 minutes - 1 hour to account for the larger pieces of meat. You know the chicken is cooked through when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
As noted in the recipe below, you can use either creamy Caesar dressing or vinaigrette-style Caesar dressing. While I've shown the creamy dressing here (since that's what I had on hand), I prefer the vinaigrette-style dressing because it blends well with the tomato sauce. The creamy dressing has a tendency to "break" and separate from the tomato sauce if you use too much.
If you don't have Caesar dressing, you can substitute with your favorite Italian dressing or Greek vinaigrette dressing (homemade or store-bought).
I love the bright, fresh flavor and color from adding herbs at the end. Don't skip the garnish! I recommend fresh thyme, basil, oregano, and/or parsley!
I haven't tested it myself, but I imagine that this recipe will work well in the slow cooker, too! The sauce will be slightly thinner (thanks to the condensation from the pot), but it should still be good. Follow the instructions below, but cook the chicken and sauce in the Crock Pot on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. Let me know if you give it a shot!
Don't have time to marinate your chicken for a full 2 hours? You can leave it marinating in the fridge overnight, or you can shorten the marinating time to just 15 minutes.

Nutrition