Last month, Mark and I were fortunate enough to spend a few weeks in Italy and France. It was my first time in Europe and everything was a bit overwhelming. We made it most of the trip without any significant langauge hurdles or misunderstandings. Until we stopped at a motorway stop on our way to Nice.

There was a great hot buffet lunch at said stop. I don’t speak any Italian, so I’d been surviving by pointing and smiling. One of the dishes had olives and peas and potatoes and looked great. I pointed to it, and the man working scooped me up a big helping and sent me on my way. When I went to chow down, I was horrified to realize that they weren’t actually potatoes – they were baby squids! I don’t eat seafood, so it was a complete bust for me. I was disappointed – I’d really wanted those olives!

As I was prepping the olives for this last week, I couldn’t help but think about the olive dish mishap. I threw a few extra in, to make up for the ones I didn’t eat in Italy!

Greek Chicken
(Slightly adapted from Savoring the Thyme)
Serves 2

1/4 c. all-purpose flour
Pinch of oregano
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt
2 4-oz. chicken breasts
2 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 c. kalamata olives, halved
1/4 c. crumbled feta
3 c. baby spinach

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.

Mix the flour, oregano, salt and pepper together. Dredge chicken and add to heated skillet. Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway, or until cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside, covered to keep warm. Lower the heat and add the remaining oil to the skillet. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and olives and cook for 2-3 minutes, until tomatoes start to mush.

Add baby spinach to a plate. Top with chicken, tomato-olive mixture and feta.