Balsamico Chicken With Olives
Chicken, green olives and a splash of balsamic is one of those humble braises that tastes far grander than its effort. The trick is understanding why the three belong together — then you can cook it by feel for the rest of your life.
A braise of chicken with green olives turns up all around the Mediterranean, from Provence to Sicily to North Africa, because it solves a everyday problem beautifully: how to make an ordinary bird taste of somewhere. The olives do the heavy lifting. They bring salt, a faint bitterness and a savoury depth that seasons the whole pot from within, so you barely need to reach for the salt cellar. A little balsamic — or in the older Provencal versions, red-wine vinegar — cuts the richness and pulls the sauce together. None of it is difficult. What matters is choosing the right olive and not rushing the pot.
Why green olives, not black
Reach for a firm, brine-cured green olive here — a Picholine, a Lucques, a Castelvetrano, a plain Spanish Manzanilla. Green olives keep their bite and their clean, briny snap through a long braise, where a soft ripe black olive would collapse into a muddy, oversalted paste. Buy them whole and pit them yourself if you can be bothered; pre-pitted olives lose flavour to the brine and can taste of nothing but salt. And do taste before you cook: if the olives are ferociously salty, a ten-minute soak in cold water tames them so they season the dish rather than wrecking it.
The balsamic question
Do not pour your treasured aged balsamic into a braise — the long heat flattens its perfume and you will have wasted good money. A young, everyday balsamic, or a decent red-wine vinegar, is the right tool: you want its acidity and a hint of sweetness to balance the salt of the olives, not a showpiece condiment. Add most of it early to cook down into the sauce, then, if the finished pot tastes flat, a final teaspoon stirred in off the heat brightens everything. Acid at the end is the oldest trick for waking up a dish that tastes almost right.
How to braise it without a recipe
The method barely changes from cook to cook. Brown seasoned chicken pieces in a little olive oil, then set them in a snug ovenproof dish. Deglaze the pan with a spoon of tomato paste, a splash of broth and the vinegar, pour it over, scatter in the olives, cover, and cook gently at a moderate oven — around 375°F — until the meat is tender and falling from the bone. If the sauce is thin at the end, reduce it on the stovetop until it coats a spoon; if it is too sharp, a pinch of sugar or a few soft ripe tomatoes round it off. Finish with chopped parsley for colour and freshness. That is the whole grammar of the dish.
| Olive | Character | Behaviour in a braise |
|---|---|---|
| Picholine | Firm, nutty, lightly bitter | Holds shape; classic Provencal choice |
| Lucques | Sweet, buttery, crescent-shaped | Gentle and mild; melts slightly |
| Castelvetrano | Mild, meaty, bright green | Stays plump; forgiving for beginners |
| Manzanilla | Salty, crisp, everyday | Reliable and cheap; soak if very salty |
| Soft black olives | Ripe, jammy | Avoid — disintegrate and over-salt |
Getting it on the table
- Choose firm green olives, whole and pitted at home for the freshest flavour.
- Taste and soak very salty olives; let them season the dish, not dominate it.
- Use ordinary balsamic or red-wine vinegar, not the aged bottle.
- Braise low and slow, then reduce the sauce and adjust acidity at the very end.
- Serve with something to soak up the sauce — bread, rice, mash or polenta.
Braised chicken with olives: common questions
What kind of olives are best for cooking chicken?
Firm, brine-cured green olives such as Picholine, Lucques, Castelvetrano or Manzanilla. They keep their texture and clean, briny flavour through a braise, unlike soft ripe black olives, which collapse.
Should I use aged balsamic?
No. Long cooking flattens a fine aged balsamic, so use a young everyday balsamic or red-wine vinegar and save the good bottle for drizzling raw.
Do I need to add salt?
Usually very little. Olives are salty, so season lightly, taste near the end, and adjust then rather than at the start.
My sauce is too salty — can I fix it?
Soak the olives before cooking to prevent it. If it has already happened, add unsalted broth, a few tomatoes or a splash of water and reduce again to rebalance.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes — like most braises it improves overnight as the flavours settle. Reheat gently and freshen with parsley and a few drops of vinegar before serving.
The single upgrade that transforms this dish costs nothing: buy whole olives and pit them yourself. Pre-pitted olives sit in brine that leaches out their flavour, so they add salt but little else. A whole Picholine or Castelvetrano, stoned at the last minute, keeps its nutty, briny character and seasons the whole pot. Taste one first — if it makes you wince, a short cold soak is all it needs. Let the olive do the seasoning and you will rarely reach for the salt.
An original method piece on the Mediterranean braise of chicken, green olives and vinegar.