Serve this delicious chicken dinner to your family on a busy weeknight or at your next dinner party. The spinach and leeks along with the lemony orzo complete this meal. There’s even time to make dessert! This lazy version of the Greek classic kataifi is simple and so delicious.
How to make this Chicken Dinner in 60 minutes:
- Make the kataifi dessert first.
- Prepare the Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce.
- The Spinach & Leeks and the Lemony Orzo can be prepared simultaneously.
The kataifi pastry can be made a few days ahead of time. It keeps fresh in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5-6 days. If you’re making this dessert for a dinner party, make it ahead to save some time.
Lazy Kataifi for dessert
Kataifi nests and the traditional rolls are one of my favorite desserts. They take a little bit of effort to make and some time. This lazy version still has all of that great flavor with just a fraction of the work. Just loosen the kataifi pastry and place it in a baking tray. Drizzle the top with butter and bake until golden. Soak it in the syrup and serve it topped with nuts, ice cream, or with vanilla pudding.
Lemon Butter Chicken
This chicken dish is vibrant and loaded with flavor. Chicken breasts are best used for this recipe. They should be butterflied to turn them into thin chicken cutlets. Then, be sure to pound them to about a third of an inch in thickness. This will help them cook quickly and stay juicy.
The sauce is ready in a few minutes. I love the addition of the Kalamata olives. Add some roasted red peppers for extra flavor!
Spinach & Leeks
This is such a great way to add more veggies to your diet. This side keeps fresh in the refrigerator for days and goes great alongside anything.
If you do not have leeks, feel free to make this dish with an onion that has been finely chopped instead of the leeks. Throw in a few (3-4) thinly sliced scallions for some extra flavor.
Lemony Orzo
This side dish is ready in 10 minutes! You can’t beat that. Add some finely chopped fresh herbs like mint and parsley to add more flavor. Easy and delicious!
I hope that you give these recipes a try and you let me know what you think. If you made any changes, share them with us in the comments section. I love reading your comments.
See you back here soon with another delicious recipe worth sharing. Yiasas & Kali Orexi!
Watch the Video
Lazy Greek Kataifi Pastry: Quick & Easy
A layer of sweet kataifi pastry that can be served plain or topped with ice cream.
Ingredients
- 1 pound kataifi pastry, thawed and at room temperature
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted
- ground cinnamon for garnish
For the Syrup
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Toppings:
- ice cream
- vanilla pudding
- ground pistachios or sliced almonds
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
Prepare the syrup.
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix well so that the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Mix and set aside to cool.
Take the kataifi dough out of its packaging. It should be at room temperature. Pull apart the strands as much as possible. Detangling as you go so that they are not clumped together. Place the detangled strands into a baking pan. You can bake this in a half sheet pan or a 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top and bake until golden. About 35-40 minutes.
Pour the cooled syrup over the kataifi dough as soon as it comes out of the oven. The kataifi should be piping hot and the syrup should be cool.
Set aside for about 30-40 minutes so that the pastry can absorb the syrup. Dust a very generous amount of ground cinnamon over it. Once cooled, it stays fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Serve as is or topped with ice cream and your favorite nuts and preserves.
Kali Orexi!
Notes
Leftovers will keep fresh in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 5 days.
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Lemony Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 pound orzo pasta cooked according to package instructions
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- the zest of a lemon
- optional: 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
Instructions
Add the cooked orzo to a mixing bowl.
Mix in all of the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Serve and kali orexi!
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Mediterranean Spinach & Leeks
Ingredients
- 5-6 leeks, sliced into half-moons
- 1 pound spinach leaves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- the juice of a lemon
- optional: mint or dill, finely chopped
Instructions
Place the sliced leeks in a large bowl of cold water. The dirt will sink down to the. bottom. Lift the leeks and drain them in a colander.
Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the leeks and season them with a quarter teaspoon of salt. Cook until soft and golden mixing often. About 8-10 minutes.
Add the spinach to the pan in a few batches. After each batch wilts add the next and season each batch with salt and black pepper.
Once the spinach has wilted, remove the pan from the heat and add the juice of a lemon. Mix and serve.
Notes
Substitutes for leeks: 5-6 scallions thinly sliced or a small onion finely chopped.
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Lemon Butter Chicken Skillet with Kalamata Olives
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken cutlets
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin powder
- 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour for dredging
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped parsley
- 8 olives, pitted and chopped
Instructions
Carefully butterfly each chicken breast and separate it into two pieces. Pound each of the 4 chicken cutlets t0 1/4-1/3-inch thickness.
Place the chicken cutlets into a pan and season both sides with salt, pepper, cumin, and then dredge them in flour.
Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and pan-fry the chicken cutlets 4-5 minutes per side.
Transfer the chicken cutlets to a platter or baking pan.
Add the garlic and butter to the pan and warm through.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Add the lemon juice and olives and boil for a minute until slightly reduced.
Plac the chicken back into the pan and warm through for a minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and garnish with parsley.
Serve and kali orexi!
Notes
To make a larger batch, pan fry the chicken cutlets and transfer them to a large baking pan.
Make a larger batch of sauce and pour it over the chicken.
Warm through in a preheated 400 °F oven for 7-10 minutes.
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Was fantastic for the family and easy to do. My kids were 100% into it.