Roasted Chicken with Olives, Dates and Toasted Pinenuts

I absolutely love the combination of sweet and salty and this sauce definitely covers all those flavors. We always have olives in the fridge and I never thought of pairing them with dates, but once they’re paired with the yummy, buttery roasted chicken and toasty pinenuts, it totally works. This meal would be wonderful for entertaining, but because it’s ready in under 30 minutes, it would also be great during the week as well! 

1. Preheat oven to 425. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, for 5 minutes (you may need to work in batches depending on the size of your skillet). Transfer to a plate.

3. Drain the fat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the butter, shallots, dates and olives. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

4. Add the chicken back to the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

5. Finish chicken with lemon juice and sprinkle with pinenuts. Serve with couscous, if desired.



Roasted Chicken with Olives, Dates and Toasted Pinenuts
Serves 4

All you need:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 (4-5 lb.) chicken, cut into eight pieces
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
8 pitted dates, chopped
1/2 cup pitted green olives, halved
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup pinenuts, toasted
Couscous, for serving (optional)

All you do:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, for 5 minutes (you may need to work in batches depending on the size of your skillet). Transfer to a plate.
3. Drain the fat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the butter, shallots, dates and olives. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
4. Add the chicken back to the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Finish chicken with lemon juice and sprinkle with pinenuts. Serve with couscous, if desired.

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