Zesty Chicken with Shallots, Capers and Olives is a super delicious dish with fantastic bold flavor! You’ll never believe that this is a Weight Watchers recipe!
Over the years, Jack and I have tried a number of different diets, and the ones that have worked the best for us are plans that allow us to enjoy delicious foods. Today’s delicious recipe – Zesty Chicken with Shallots, Capers and Olives – is a perfect example of delicious, so-called diet food.
We found the recipe in this older Weight Watchers cookbook. (Go buy a used copy for just a few dollars – it’s a great little cookbook with healthy meals!) And, if you can eat a delicious meal like this one, and still stay on your diet – that’s a real winner in my opinion!
Boneless chicken is seasoned with rosemary, then combined with a super-flavorful sauce made from canned tomatoes, olives, capers, and shallots. It’s like a trip to a restaurant in the Mediterranean all from the comfort of your own home. You can serve it over pasta or mashed potatoes, or enjoy this zesty chicken and vegetables on its own or over pureed cauliflower, if you are eating lower carb.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – Always buy your chicken from a reputable market, and select pieces with a pinkish-colored flesh. You can also make this dish with chicken or turkey tenderloins.
- Fresh herbs – Fresh rosemary is used to season the chicken before cooking, and fresh basil is added to the sauce. While fresh herbs will always give you the best flavor, dried can be used as well.
- Shallots – When cooked, shallots have a sweet, oniony flavor that is milder than most other onions. Since they are such a predominant ingredient here, it is worth buying shallots specifically for this recipe.
- Apple cider vinegar – The sauce in this recipe gets a nice zesty bite from a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. White wine vinegar could be swapped in in a pinch.
- Tomatoes – A can of diced tomatoes makes this dish quick and easy.
- Kalamata Olives and Capers – Both of these ingredients add a delicious, briny flavor to the sauce. Don’t leave them out!
How do I make Zesty Chicken With Shallots, Capers and Olives?
- If you want to serve this dish over pasta, as shown, begin cooking that – the rest of the dish will come together in the time it takes to cook your pasta.
- Sprinkle bite-sized pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts with rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Cook the chicken, in batches, in a large skillet until they start to brown a bit. The chicken will fully-cook later, in the sauce, so it’s fine if they are not completely cooked through in this step. Set aside.
- Sauté shallots and garlic in the same pan, then deglaze the pan with the vinegar. Add white wine, tomatoes, olives and capers and cook for five to eight minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add fresh basil and the cooked chicken back into the skillet, then simmer for one minute.
- Serve over the cooked pasta or on its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the nutritional information for this recipe? Scroll below to the bottom of the recipe for that information.
This post originally appeared on A Family Feast in February 2013. We’ve updated the post and images but the delicious recipe remains the same.
*Disclaimer: I am not compensated by Weight Watchers (now called WW), nor am I endorsing their program. I just happen to be a fan of their program based on the success that I achieved following their diet program. Their program worked for me, but results for you may vary.
You might like these other Weight Watchers recipes:
- Sweet and Sour Shrimp Stir-Fry
- Beef Teriyaki and Vegetables
- Couscous with Lentils and Vegetables
- Farro Salad with Grapes, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Vinaigrette
- Moo Shu Beef Lettuce Cups
- Healthier Beef Lo Mein
Zesty Chicken with Shallots, Capers and Olives
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: entree
- Method: sautee
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry pasta of your choice, we used spaghetti
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, or half that of dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup chopped shallots (about 2 large shallots)
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 14 ½-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
- 10 pitted and sliced Kalamata olives
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- ¼ cup fresh basil, coarsely cut
Instructions
- Bring water to boil for pasta and cook while you are cooking the dish. Once done, drain and hold.
- Lay out chicken pieces and divide rosemary, salt and pepper between front and back of chicken pieces.
- Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large non stick pan over medium high heat and cook chicken in two batches using a second tablespoon of oil for the second half of the chicken, about 2-3 minutes on each side per batch. Set chicken aside in a bowl or plate.
- Add the last tablespoon of oil to the same pan and place shallots and garlic in and cook for one minute until soft. Add vinegar to deglaze pan.
- When vinegar has evaporated, add wine, tomatoes, olives and capers. Cook over medium to medium high heat 5-8 minutes until mixture has thickened.
- Add basil and return chicken to pan along with any juices that have leaked out of the chicken and cook for one more minute.
- Serve over your favorite pasta.
Notes
4 points per serving (Weight Watchers Winning Points)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 186 calories
- Sodium: 878 mg sodium
- Fat: 4 g total fat
- Saturated Fat: 1 g saturated fat
- Carbohydrates: 8 mg carbohydrates
- Fiber: 1 g dietary fiber
- Protein: 28 g protein
- Cholesterol: 66 mg cholesterol
Keywords: Zesty Chicken With Shallots, Capers and Olives, WW recipe
This looks so good! Will definitely be trying this recipe out.
★★★★★
Hope you enjoy it Shweta!