Sauteed Chicken & Broccoli Rabe with Black Olives, Sundried Tomatoes & Feta

Every busy cook’s dream: one skillet, nine minutes of actual cooking, and dinner that tastes like it took longer. The smart move here is using the oil from a jar of sundried tomatoes to cook the chicken. That oil is already flavored with whatever the tomatoes were packed in (herbs, garlic, olive oil), giving the chicken a head start on depth.

Broccoli rabe is the bold green here. It is peppery and slightly bitter, and it cooks down fast in the covered pan with a splash of water. Three minutes is all it needs to wilt and soften without losing its bite. The black olives and sun-dried tomatoes round out the Mediterranean profile with salt and sweetness.

Crumbled feta goes on last, off the heat, so it stays in chunks instead of melting. Serve the whole thing over capellini or rice to soak up the pan juices. Under 15 minutes start to finish, and the flavor punches well above its weight class.

Pro Tips

• Save the oil from every jar of sun-dried tomatoes. It is a free flavor boost for pan-searing or salad dressings.
• Cut the chicken into even 2-inch pieces so every chunk finishes cooking at the same time.
• Rinse the broccoli rabe but do not dry it completely. The water clinging to the leaves helps steam it under the lid.
• Taste before salting. Feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes all bring significant salt of their own.

Variations

• Swap chicken breast for boneless thighs for a juicier, more forgiving protein.
• Use kale or Swiss chard in place of broccoli rabe if that is what you have. Cook time stays about the same.
• Add a squeeze of lemon or a splash of red wine vinegar at the end for a bright acid lift.