Apollo Chicken Recipe

Prepare marinade

In a medium bowl combine Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, kosher salt and red pepper flakes. Whisk until smooth and evenly combined.

Add the trimmed, cut chicken thighs to the marinade. Toss to coat all pieces thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes — ideally 2 to 4 hours. If short on time, 15–30 minutes will still add flavor.

Bring to room temperature

About 20 minutes before cooking, remove the marinated chicken from the fridge to come toward room temperature. This helps promote even cooking.

While the chicken marinates, prepare the vegetables: slice the red bell pepper into 1/2" strips, thinly slice half a red onion, and rinse/dry the baby greens. Crumble the feta and chop the parsley. Set aside.

Preheat a large heavy skillet (cast iron or stainless steel) over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and let it heat until shimmering but not smoking.

Working in a single layer (cook in two batches if necessary), add the marinated chicken pieces to the hot skillet, shaking off excess marinade so pieces sear rather than steam. Cook undisturbed 3–4 minutes until a deep golden crust forms.

Flip the pieces and add the red pepper strips and sliced red onion around the chicken. Continue cooking another 3–4 minutes, stirring the vegetables occasionally, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) and vegetables are softened and slightly charred.

Remove chicken and vegetables to a warm plate and tent with foil while you make the pan sauce.

Keep the skillet over medium heat. If there is excessive fat, spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon. Add 2 tablespoons white wine (or skip and use stock) to deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, about 1 minute.

Add 1/2 cup chicken stock, honey and butter. Stir and simmer 1–2 minutes until slightly reduced and glossy. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your preference.

Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan briefly (30–60 seconds) to rewarm and glaze them in the sauce.

Remove from heat. Toss the baby spinach or arugula into the pan so it wilts slightly from the residual heat. Sprinkle with crumbled feta, chopped parsley and lemon zest if using. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

Serve immediately over rice, orzo, pita, or a salad bed. Spoon extra pan sauce over the serving. Adjust final seasoning with salt, pepper, and an extra squeeze of lemon if desired.