Mediterranean Chicken Recipe | Easy Keto Dinner | 11g Carbs
⏲ ~30 min total · prep 18 · cook 12 · 4 servings
Dinner⏱ 30 min total🔥 11.0g net carbs⚡ ≈458 kcal/serving~24% of calories from carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn
Instructions
- Toss the cubed chicken with the oregano, kosher salt, and pepper until every piece is seasoned.
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high until it shimmers, then add the chicken in one layer. Brown 5-6 minutes, turning the pieces only every 2 minutes, until golden outside and 165°F inside. Move the chicken to a plate.
- Drop the heat to medium and add the onion to the same skillet, cooking 3 minutes until translucent and scraping up the browned bits, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives and cook 4-5 minutes, pressing the tomatoes with a spatula as they soften, until most have burst and the juices cook down into a chunky sauce that barely pools.
- Return the chicken and any plate juices to the pan, add the red wine vinegar, and toss 1-2 minutes until the chicken is glossy and heated through.
- Take the skillet off the heat, scatter the feta and basil over the top, and let the residual heat soften the feta for a minute before serving.
Why this recipe works
- Tomatoes become the sauce Cherry tomatoes pressed with a spatula break down into a chunky sauce in four to five minutes. No thickeners and no extra steps, and the browned bits from the chicken season it.
- One skillet, layered flavor The chicken browns first and comes out; the onion then lifts the fond. Every layer builds on what the last one left behind, which is why a single pan beats three pots.
- Briny finishers Kalamata olives and feta land off the heat so they soften without disappearing. The red wine vinegar added with the chicken sharpens the whole pan in the final minute.
Tips for making this recipe well
Turn the chicken every two minutes
Resist stirring the cubes constantly; they need contact time to brown. Turning only every two minutes gives each face a golden crust and keeps the insides juicy.
Press the tomatoes deliberately
Push each tomato half into the pan with your spatula as it softens. Most should burst so the juices cook down into a sauce that barely pools.
Scrape the fond
The browned bits stuck to the pan after the chicken comes out are flavor, not mess. The onion and its moisture lift them straight into the sauce.
Feta off the heat
Feta softens in residual heat but turns squeaky if boiled. Scatter it after the skillet leaves the burner and give it a minute.
Mind the salt pile-up
Olives and feta both carry salt, which is why the chicken gets its own three-quarters of a teaspoon. Taste at the end before adding anything more.
Serving suggestions
A pint of cherry tomatoes turns into the entire sauce here, which is why the ingredient list stays short. Serve the skillet family-style with feta scattered on top and let people spoon it over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. Eleven grams of net carbs leaves room on a low-carb plate without much math. Torn basil goes on at the table, not before, so it stays green. A crisp white wine pairs if that's your kind of table.
Storage and meal prep
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for 3 to 4 days. The tomatoes and olives hold up well, and the flavor deepens overnight, which makes day-two lunches worth planning. Reheat in a skillet over medium until warmed through; the microwave works but softens the chicken further. Freezing is possible for 2 to 3 months, though the tomato sauce turns watery after thawing and the feta crumbles. If you plan to freeze, hold the feta and basil back and add them fresh when reheating.
Variations worth trying
- Artichoke addition Quartered canned artichoke hearts, drained, join the tomatoes and olives happily. Add them with the tomatoes so they warm through.
- Thighs instead of breasts Boneless thighs brown the same way and stay juicier. Expect a few extra minutes to reach 165°F.
- Dairy-free version Skip the feta and finish with an extra tablespoon of olive oil and more olives. The brine does the compensating.
- Slow heat A quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes added with the garlic gives the skillet a low warmth underneath the oregano.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use canned tomatoes instead of cherry?
You can, but you lose the burst-and-thicken effect of fresh cherry tomatoes. If canned is what you have, simmer longer to cook the sauce down until it barely pools.
Why 11 grams of net carbs?
The tomatoes, onion, and olives carry the carbohydrate in this skillet, and the recipe keeps those amounts modest. Each serving lands at 11 grams net carbs as written.
Can I make this ahead for meal prep?
Yes. It keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and reheats well in a skillet. Add the basil fresh each time so it stays green.
My sauce is too watery. What do I do?
Keep cooking; the sauce reduces as the tomato juices evaporate. Pressing the tomatoes earlier also releases liquid sooner, which gives it more time to cook down.
What if I don't have red wine vinegar?
Lemon juice or white wine vinegar stand in at the same tablespoon. The point is a splash of acid at the end to sharpen the olives and tomatoes.
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