Baked Lemon Chicken with Freekeh, Broccoli, & Olives
Mediterranean Diet

Baked Lemon Chicken

with Freekeh, Broccoli, & Olives

50 MIN
2 Servings
Wellness at Blue Apron
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Vegetarian
These recipes don’t contain meat, poultry, fish, or seafood.* They’re made with fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. *Select artisanal cheeses may contain animal-derived rennet.
Carb Conscious
These meals have 48g or less of net carbs (total carbs minus dietary fiber) per serving. They replace refined carbohydrates from sources like white flour, rice, and cane sugar with high-fiber foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
600 Calories Or Less
Coming in at 600 calories or less per serving, these recipes are ideal for those choosing to monitor their caloric intake without sacrificing flavor. The US Food & Drug Administration uses 2000 calorie daily intake for general advice. The 600 calorie cap equates to 30% of the total 2000 calories per day based on 3 meals per day with 200 calories remaining for snack or beverage.
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Pescatarian
These recipes feature a wide array of nutritious seafood options like salmon, cod, tilapia, crab, and shrimp. While these dishes never contain meat, pork or poultry, they may contain animal derived ingredients such as milk, butter, cheese and/or honey.
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From the Test Kitchen

In this recipe, you’ll learn how to oven-steam chicken—layered over aromatic lemon and garlic, then sealed inside foil for juicy results. We’re serving it over a hearty bed of freekeh (a type of wheat harvested young, then toasted) tossed with roasted broccoli and briny olives.

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  • Nutrition
    PER SERVING
  • Calories
    610 Cals (est.)
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fresh
ingredients
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tips & techniques
Cook the freekeh:
1 Cook the freekeh:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450°F. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Once boiling, add the freekeh and cook, uncovered, 24 to 26 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot. Cover to keep warm. 

Prepare & season the broccoli:
2 Prepare & season the broccoli:

While the freekeh cooks, wash and dry the fresh produce. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Cut off and discard the bottom 1/2 inch of the broccoli stem; cut the broccoli into large florets. Place on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer on one side of the sheet pan. 

Prepare the chicken foil packet:
3 Prepare the chicken foil packet:

While the freekeh continues to cook, peel and thinly slice the garlic. Zest the lemon to get two teaspoons (if you don’t have a zester, use a peeler to remove the yellow rind, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind). Halve the lemon crosswise. Thinly slice and deseed one half, keeping the other half intact. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels; season on both sides with salt, pepper, and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Place a large, rectangular piece of aluminum foil on a work surface. Place the sliced lemon and garlic in an even layer on one side of the foil. Top with the seasoned chicken, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and half the verjus. Fold the foil in half over the seasoned chicken. Roll and crimp the three open edges inwards to completely seal the packet. Carefully transfer to the other side of the sheet pan of seasoned broccoli

Bake the chicken & broccoli:
4 Bake the chicken & broccoli:

Bake the chicken and broccoli 20 to 22 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender when pierced with a fork and the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven. Carefully transfer the foil packet of baked chicken to a work surface. 

Prepare the remaining ingredients:
5 Prepare the remaining ingredients:

While the chicken and broccoli bake, using the flat side of your knife, smash the olives; remove and discard the pits, then roughly chop. In a bowl, combine the yogurt and the juice of the lemon half (discarding any seeds). Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Finish & serve your dish:
6 Finish & serve your dish:

To the pot of cooked freekeh, add the roasted broccoli, chopped olives, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the remaining verjus. Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Carefully open the foil packet of baked chicken; let rest at least 2 minutes. Reserving any liquid in the packet, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Carefully remove and discard the garlic and lemon slices. Slice the rested chicken crosswise. Serve the sliced chicken with the finished freekeh and seasoned yogurt on the side. Top the chicken with any reserved liquid from the packet. Enjoy!

Tips from Home Chefs

Cook the freekeh:
1 Cook the freekeh:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450°F. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Once boiling, add the freekeh and cook, uncovered, 24 to 26 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot. Cover to keep warm. 

2 Prepare & season the broccoli:

While the freekeh cooks, wash and dry the fresh produce. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Cut off and discard the bottom 1/2 inch of the broccoli stem; cut the broccoli into large florets. Place on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer on one side of the sheet pan. 

Prepare & season the broccoli:
Prepare the chicken foil packet:
3 Prepare the chicken foil packet:

While the freekeh continues to cook, peel and thinly slice the garlic. Zest the lemon to get two teaspoons (if you don’t have a zester, use a peeler to remove the yellow rind, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind). Halve the lemon crosswise. Thinly slice and deseed one half, keeping the other half intact. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels; season on both sides with salt, pepper, and as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Place a large, rectangular piece of aluminum foil on a work surface. Place the sliced lemon and garlic in an even layer on one side of the foil. Top with the seasoned chicken, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and half the verjus. Fold the foil in half over the seasoned chicken. Roll and crimp the three open edges inwards to completely seal the packet. Carefully transfer to the other side of the sheet pan of seasoned broccoli

4 Bake the chicken & broccoli:

Bake the chicken and broccoli 20 to 22 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender when pierced with a fork and the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven. Carefully transfer the foil packet of baked chicken to a work surface. 

Bake the chicken & broccoli:
Prepare the remaining ingredients:
5 Prepare the remaining ingredients:

While the chicken and broccoli bake, using the flat side of your knife, smash the olives; remove and discard the pits, then roughly chop. In a bowl, combine the yogurt and the juice of the lemon half (discarding any seeds). Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

6 Finish & serve your dish:

To the pot of cooked freekeh, add the roasted broccoli, chopped olives, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the remaining verjus. Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Carefully open the foil packet of baked chicken; let rest at least 2 minutes. Reserving any liquid in the packet, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Carefully remove and discard the garlic and lemon slices. Slice the rested chicken crosswise. Serve the sliced chicken with the finished freekeh and seasoned yogurt on the side. Top the chicken with any reserved liquid from the packet. Enjoy!

Finish & serve your dish:
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