Feta Chicken With Zucchini I Made It

Feta Chicken with Zucchini

gkwillow 12 years ago
Feta Chicken With Zucchini
by Pamelanava

Super easy prep and super tasty results! The chicken stays moist, moist, moist with the lemon underneath and the zuke mixture on top. My bake time was about 10 minutes longer, but I was using frozen chicken that maybe wasn't defrosted completely inside... The recipe suggested using garlic & herb feta cheese, but I only had "plain" so liberally sprinkled the chicken with garlic powder before topping with the veggie mixture.

For those who have never tried feta cheese, but would like to, I think this would be a great starter recipe.
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mommyluvs2cook 12 years ago said:

Your pic looks amazing as well as the recipe! Huge feta fan here and I LOVE how the chicken is baked on the lemon. So few ingredrients too!

I browsed her recipes and found quite a few I'm interested in. Saved this one and definitely plan on making it soon!

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

Thank you ML2C...few ingredients but BIG flavor!

Her last recipe is 1 year old...so I'm afraid she's not currently active on the site. I saw several of her recipes that interested me, too.

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

I dont know if I have had feta cheese. This looks like a good recipe to try it out on. I like recipes with a short ingredient list. Very nice photo, GK. Thanks for the heads up

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

hey mr p Thank you for the comment. This is indeed a short ingredient list recipe. But may I suggest that perhaps you might want to taste a piece of the feta cheese before dumping it on top of the chicken? It does have a strong flavor and If you've never tried it before, it would be a shame to "ruin" the entire dish if you didn't like it. I think mozzarella cheese and parmesan would work for this too. :) Do you have a meat thermometer? Since you can't see the chicken with all of the "zukes" and cheese on top, that was how I figured out that mine needed a little more time than what the recipe said... :)

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

Hmm, do you think they will let me open the package at the store and sample it to make sure I like the stuff? "Try before you buy" : )

I do have a meat thermometer. I just dont trust it. Seems like every time I have used it the meat comes out over cooked and dry. Im sure its just operator error, though.

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

Oops. That's not what I meant - don't mean to get in trouble with grocery store people. ;)

My meat thermometer says to do chicken to 180 degrees. I baked mine to about 175 and then let it sit a few minutes to continue cooking internally. It was REALLY moist and juicy. If you'd like to try this dish, but would rather do stovetop, I think you'd end up with basically the same flavor if you marinate the chicken briefly in lemon juice, then brown it, remove from the skillet, add the zukes and saute them, then add the chicken back in and top with cheese. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked.

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keni 12 years ago said:

Hey guys! This one looks simple and good .... can't beat that!

MP.... have you ever had a gyro? Or tzatziki sauce? Greek Salad with white blobs on top? ;-).... feta is pretty much a staple of those. I have a Greek Fries recipe with it crumbled on top .... I use a fair bit of it, too.

It's a bit tangy, but I have found a few brands are a bit less "harsh" than others ... if you go to a larger market, or, better yet, a specialty shop that has a cheese counter, they should be able to give you a taste. If they have more than one type, try them all!

As for the meat thermometer ..... buy an in expensive regular hanging one for your oven, and test your meat thermometer that way. Heat the oven to 200 per the dial, check both of them after 10 minutes. Increase to 350 and check again. Then 500 or 550 and check again! :)

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

Thanks, GK. I think I will try it on the stove top. And I knew what ya meant by tasting :) I was just being silly. Im weird that way.................sometimes, but not all the time. But a lot. Not real a lot. Just sometimes :P

Keni, I have had Gyro's and I absolutely LOVE them. Are you saying that that white looking sauce is feta? If so then I have to try this recipe. HAVE to..... Thanks : )

Now on the thermometer. I have tested mine somewhat and it seems to be accurate (temperature wise). I think where I go wrong is in its use. I have tried it on both pork and chicken. Maybe I stuck it in too far or not far enough. Both times I used it was on thin (b/s chciken breast size) cuts. Both times I took it out when it was the temp I thought it should have been and both came out DRY. Yucky dry :( I guess Im kind of gun shy, because I HATE making a dish that I know is good only to have the meat come out that way

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keni 12 years ago said:

The white looking sauce should be tzatziki, which is a yogurt based sauce, often with feta bits in it, too :) It's actually very easy to make, and one of my long time foodie friends has a recipe, here, which I often link to in my Greek recipes, so if you'd like to try making your own, I can show you her recipe. All that said, above, I don't actually like feta much just to eat .... I need it to be included with other creamier, softer flavors to enjoy it best. It's similar to goats cheese, too, by the way.

About the temp of meat ..... what temps to you try to cook to?

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

I would have to look at the thermometer to know. But it has degrees labeled for pork, chicken, and beef. Maybe I should be taking it out before it hits the "chicken" mark. So the last time I oven cooked I just poked it with my finger to feel if it was kinda squishy/firm and that seemed to work. It is easy to pop things back in when under cooked, but I have not figured out how to correct something over cooked. Seems like I should get a credit from the oven gods for the next time :)

And I would like to try that tzatziki stuff. It would be cool to try and make a gyro.

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keni 12 years ago said:

Yeah...give it a glance and let us know ... some of those temps are "off", as listed ...especially pork. Pork has been nearly always over cooked by home cooks for EVER! :) The safe temp for pork is considered 145 .... I cook ours to about 150, and it rests til about 152 and that is just perfect for us. Like the picture of the tenderloin I recently did.

And, cooking a thin BL/SL chicken breast to it's recommended temp is gonna dry it out. There are other tricks and stuff, but it's not as easy, or as forgiving, as some other meats. :)

And, finally ...gyros don't lend themselves to being made in a home kitchen very well, at all ..... I have made "faux" varieties, and even have one posted, but nothing is as good as a great gyro shop! hehehehe

But, our go to Greek quickie is Souvlaki. Chicken or pork simply seasoned and grilled and wrapped in a warm pita with a few other goodies and the sauce.

Here's a link to that recipe, which contains the link to the sauce, too, down in luv's comment! :) How Do I Make Pork Souvlaki

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

mr p -------> it is recommended that when you insert a meat thermometer into meat you pick up the piece of meat with tongs (don't "stab" it with a fork - that lets juices run out) and insert the thermometer horizontally. On my thermometer there's a actually a mark that indicates the depth it should be inserted to get the most accurate reading. Maybe that's how you use your meat thermometer already so that would make my comment of no value. ;)

If you want your meat to be juicy, don't cut into it right away. Let it rest after removing it from the oven or grill. And it will continue to cook some as it's resting...so I always remove the meat a little before it actually hits the final cooking temp.

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

Thanks GK. And I never stuck the thermometer in horizontally. I just stuck it in as is sat on the dish. Only about 1 inch or so. I guess maybe I should have read the directions. I HATE having to do that, cuz I like being lost :)

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

yes mr p I know how guys like you are. ;)

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mrpiggy 12 years ago said:

Guys like me? Hmm. I dont know what to say to that. I guess I will say why I HATE reading/asking directions. I like to figure things out . I alwyas have, and to me, thats where the fun lies. As a kid I took every toy apart I ever had just to see how it worked. I didnt stop there either. If my mom was still here, she would have plenty of stories to tell you about a couple of TV's, blenders, and even her sewing machine. I have never out grew that. I figure if I havent by now, I never will. So, to me, directions are symbol of not being able to figure something out, and a LAST resort : ) Again, Im weird that way

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gkwillow 12 years ago said:

Welll mr p sounds like I need to keep my toys away from you so you don't take them apart. :)

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