Amazing 490 Calorie Mediterranean Baked Chicken

Mediterranean Baked Chicken is about to become the star of your busy weeknights! Seriously, this is the recipe I turn to when I need big flavor without spending an hour scrubbing dishes afterward. Hi, I’m Anna, and I’m obsessed with sharing simple, flavorful chicken recipes designed to make everyday cooking easier and, most importantly, more joyful.

This sheet pan dinner—with its juicy chicken, crispy potatoes, and that zesty lemon-garlic sauce—is totally tested. I’ve messed with the ratios of oregano to paprika a dozen times so you don’t have to! It hits that perfect sweet spot of tangy, savory, and comforting, all cooked on one pan in about 55 minutes. Trust me, once you try this, you’ll wonder how you ever cooked without it.

Gathering Ingredients for Mediterranean Baked Chicken

Getting ready for this Mediterranean Baked Chicken is half the fun because it uses pantry staples you probably already have. We are aiming for four hearty servings here, so we need enough chicken and veggies to make it a complete meal. Don’t stress about exact weights; chicken pieces vary, but this layout works perfectly for a standard sheet pan!

Chicken and Marinade Components

For the chicken, I always grab bone-in, skin-on thighs and drumsticks—about two pounds total. The skin gets delightfully crisp, and the bone keeps the meat incredibly juicy, which is key for this baked method. The marinade is where all the magic lives!

You need half a cup of fresh lemon juice—please use fresh!—and six cloves of garlic, minced nice and fine. Whisk that with two tablespoons of honey for a little sweetness, two teaspoons of Dijon mustard for depth, one tablespoon of dried oregano (if you have fresh, use about two tablespoons, chopped!), and one and a half teaspoons of paprika. We finish the marinade with one tablespoon of olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of black pepper.

Vegetables and Finishing Touches for Mediterranean Baked Chicken

For the vegetables, we are keeping it rustic for this Mediterranean Baked Chicken. You’ll need five small potatoes, quartered. I stress ‘small’ because they need to cook at the same rate as the chicken! Two red onions, quartered, add a wonderful sweetness as they roast down. We also need one cup of low-sodium chicken broth to keep things moist in the pan.

The secret to texture is holding back the cherry tomatoes until later! Grab about eight ounces of whole cherry tomatoes. Before they go in, toss the potatoes and onions with one tablespoon of olive oil, half a teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of pepper. Don’t forget the fresh oregano for garnish at the very end—it really brightens everything up!

Equipment Needed for Sheet Pan Success

You don’t need a million fancy gadgets for this dinner, which is why I love it! You’ll definitely want a large bowl for mixing up that amazing marinade. A sturdy sheet pan or a large, rimmed baking dish is essential—make sure it’s big enough so things aren’t too crowded. Finally, grab a meat thermometer; it’s the only way to be 100% sure the chicken is perfectly done and safe!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Mediterranean Baked Chicken

Okay, let’s get cooking! This is where the transformation happens. Follow these steps for the juiciest, most flavorful Mediterranean Baked Chicken you’ve ever made. Since it’s all on one pan, cleanup is a breeze! This delicious one-pan dinner is a keeper.

Preparing the Tangy Lemon-Garlic Marinade

First things first, grab that large bowl. We need to build the flavor base! Whisk together your fresh lemon juice, the minced garlic—don’t be shy with the garlic—the honey, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, and paprika until everything is well combined. Now, slowly drizzle in that tablespoon of olive oil while you keep whisking. Salt and pepper go in last. Give it one final, enthusiastic whisk until it looks like a beautifully tangy, slightly thick sauce.

Next, take your chicken pieces and toss them right into that marinade. I mean really toss them; use your hands if you have to! Make sure every bit of skin and every crevice on the bone-in pieces gets coated. That coating is what keeps the chicken happy in the oven.

Marinating and Oven Preparation

If you can plan ahead, this is the secret step for insanely deep flavor: cover that bowl and pop it in the fridge for anywhere from an hour up to 24 hours. Seriously, overnight is divine. But if you’re in a rush, don’t worry! Even 30 minutes helps the herbs bloom.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This lower temperature is important because it allows the potatoes to soften nicely without burning the beautiful marinade before the chicken is cooked through.

Initial Baking of Mediterranean Baked Chicken and Vegetables

Time to assemble the pan! Take your quartered potatoes and red onions and spread them out evenly on your sheet pan. Try not to overlap them too much; they need space to roast, not steam. Now, place your marinated chicken pieces right on top of those vegetables. Make sure the skin side is facing up so it can crisp nicely!

Pour that leftover marinade from the bowl, along with the cup of chicken broth, all over everything on the pan. The broth mixes with the marinade to create the cooking liquid that keeps the potatoes tender. Pop the whole thing into the 350°F oven, uncovered, and let it bake for 20 minutes. Go grab a glass of wine or start prepping a simple salad!

Adding Tomatoes and Final Roasting

After those first 20 minutes, carefully pull the sheet pan out—it’ll be hot! Now we scatter the whole cherry tomatoes around the chicken and vegetables. This is crucial: adding them halfway stops them from turning into total mush. Drizzle everything with that final tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle on the remaining salt and pepper over the veggies.

Back into the oven she goes! Bake for another 30 to 35 minutes. You are looking for two things: the potatoes should be fork-tender, and the chicken needs to hit an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit right at the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone. Use that thermometer—it’s your best friend for perfect Mediterranean Baked Chicken!

Resting and Serving the Mediterranean Baked Chicken

Once it hits temperature, pull the pan out immediately. Don’t skip this next part! Let the entire dish rest right there on the counter for about 5 minutes. This lets all those delicious juices redistribute back into the chicken meat. After resting, garnish generously with fresh oregano. Scoop everything right onto plates—make sure everyone gets some of that amazing pan sauce!

Essential Tips for Perfect Mediterranean Baked Chicken

Even though this is a super simple sheet pan recipe, there are a few little tricks I’ve learned over time that make your Mediterranean Baked Chicken go from good to absolutely spectacular. These aren’t rules, just things that help prevent common kitchen hiccups! If you love finding these kinds of tips, check out my Pinterest board for more kitchen hacks.

Achieving Evenly Cooked Potatoes

The biggest issue people run into with sheet pan dinners is uneven cooking, usually with the potatoes. If you use huge Russet potatoes, they’ll still be hard when your chicken is done, or the chicken will dry out waiting for them. My best advice is to look for small potatoes—think the size of a golf ball or maybe slightly larger.

If you can only find big potatoes, you absolutely must cut them into smaller, uniform pieces—quarters work great, but make sure they are all roughly the same size. If they are too big, they’ll steam instead of roast beautifully alongside that chicken. Trust me, consistency in size equals consistency in texture!

Ensuring Food Safety with Chicken Temperature

I know we all want to just poke the chicken with a fork, but for bone-in chicken, you really need that thermometer for the Mediterranean Baked Chicken. Chicken must reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit internally to be safe, and since we are baking it on top of everything else, it can sometimes cook slower than you expect.

Make sure you stick that thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, making absolutely sure the tip isn’t touching the bone! If it reads 165°F, you are golden. Pull it out right then, because if you leave it in another five minutes waiting for the potatoes, the dark meat will start to get tough. The resting period handles the rest!

Storage and Reheating Guidelines

If you made this Mediterranean Baked Chicken exactly as I did, you’ll probably have leftovers because four servings is generous! Luckily, this dish holds up beautifully in the fridge, and the flavors actually meld together overnight, making tomorrow’s lunch even better.

Storing Leftover Mediterranean Baked Chicken

When putting leftovers away, make sure the chicken and vegetables have cooled down a bit first—don’t put piping hot food straight into the fridge. Transfer everything into an airtight container. I like clear ones so I can see what I have! You can safely store your leftover Mediterranean Baked Chicken, potatoes, and all that delicious sauce in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. It freezes well too, up to three months, if you need to stash it for a super busy night later!

Reheating for Best Flavor

Reheating is important because baked chicken, especially dark meat, can sometimes dry out if you just blast it in the microwave. Here’s my trick for keeping this Mediterranean Baked Chicken juicy: when you reheat your portion, add a tiny splash—maybe a tablespoon—of low-sodium chicken broth, or even just water, right into the container before you cover it with a paper towel or lid.

This little bit of added moisture turns to steam in the microwave and brings back that wonderful tenderness the chicken had fresh out of the oven. Heat it in short bursts, stirring halfway through, until it’s steaming hot all the way through.

Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe

I get so many messages asking about tweaks and substitutions for this recipe, and that’s awesome! It means you’re excited to make it. Here are the most common questions I get about making the perfect Mediterranean Baked Chicken sheet pan dinner.

Can I Use Chicken Breast Instead of Thighs in This Mediterranean Baked Chicken?

Yes, you absolutely can swap in chicken breasts, but you have to watch the time closely! Chicken breasts are leaner and cook much faster than thighs. If you use them, I suggest cutting them into uniform 1.5-inch thick pieces rather than using whole breasts. Because they cook faster, you might want to add them to the pan about 15 minutes *after* you put the potatoes in, or check their temperature after only 20 minutes of total baking time for your Mediterranean Baked Chicken. Remember, 165 degrees Fahrenheit is the magic number!

What Other Vegetables Work Well in This Sheet Pan Meal?

The great thing about this lemon-garlic sauce is that it pairs well with almost any sturdy vegetable that roasts nicely. If you want to switch things up, try adding some chopped zucchini or bell peppers—but add those along with the cherry tomatoes, since they cook faster than potatoes. Broccoli florets are fantastic too, but toss those in during the last 15 minutes of baking so they don’t burn. Anything that takes about 35 minutes to get tender in the oven works perfectly!

Serving Suggestions for Your Dinner

The beauty of this Mediterranean Baked Chicken is that it’s already a complete meal with the potatoes and veggies, but sometimes you just need something extra to soak up all that incredible pan sauce. My absolute favorite pairing is a hunk of crusty, warm bread—perfect for dipping!

If you want something more substantial, a simple side of fluffy white rice or even orzo pasta works wonderfully to catch the lemon-garlic juices. For something lighter, a simple side salad dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar keeps the whole meal feeling fresh and bright!

Estimated Nutritional Data for Mediterranean Baked Chicken

Now, I always want to give you a heads-up that since we are dealing with bone-in chicken and varying vegetable sizes, these numbers are just an estimate—a good guideline, but not an exact science! This data is based on the 4 servings we aimed for in the recipe. Use this to get a general idea of what you’re eating with your delicious Mediterranean Baked Chicken.

Here is the breakdown of the main components for one serving:

Nutrient	Estimated Amount Per Serving
Calories	490
Total Fat	10g
Protein	32g
Carbohydrates	51g

Remember, this is just an estimate! If you skip the potatoes or use less olive oil, those numbers will shift. Enjoy the flavor first and the tracking second!

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