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Chicken and olives and kale on a vintage black and white plate with a pink napkin

Saucy Chicken and Olives with Greens

Chicken and olives, a French classic that never gets old, performs beautifully under pressure, yielding a tender chicken and plump, juicy olives with an instant sauce. If you can plan ahead, give the chicken a quick dry cure by rubbing it with a mixture ofsalt, pepper, and red pepper flakes; do this up to 24 hours ahead of the cooking, and flavors of the dry brine will penetrate the chicken right down to the bone. Serve this over the cheesy polenta, with all the flavorful sauce from the pot.
Course Dinner
Cuisine French
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting and IP heating 45 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 550 kcal
Author Recipe by Sarah Copeland

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or legs (see Cook’s Note)
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • Big pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large shallot or 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 bunch kale or chard, ribs and stems removed, roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 cup meaty green olives, such as Castelvetrano, pitted or unpittd (see Note)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 small preserved lemon, diced (peel only, discard the fruity flesh) optional
  • Creamy polenta, noodles, or rice for serving

Instructions

  1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and lay out on a paper towel–lined tray or plate. Mix the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and rub the mixture all over the chicken. Set the chicken aside to dry-cure at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or cover loosely with film or foil and refrigerate overnight. 

  2. Add the olive oil to the inner pot of the pressure cooker and set to Sauté. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes; in batches if needed. (Don’t bother flipping; only the skin side needs to render.) Add the shallot, garlic, kale, broth, vinegar, and olives. 

  3. Lock on the lid and Pressure Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure manually. Open the lid and add the butter and optional preserved lemon. Swirl to thicken the sauce slightly. 

  4. Serve the chicken on a bed of polenta, noodles, or rice. Spoon the saucy greens, olives, and juices over the top and sprinkle with the herbs and flaky salt.

Recipe Notes

What’s with the Pits? I love cooking with whole, unpitted olives. But be sure to warn your crowd that the pits are there, especially if there are kids involved. If your crew doesn’t care for the hassle, make this with pitted olives instead.

COOK’S NOTE: Leave the Skin On? Cooking skin-on chicken in a pressure cooker is a nice extra step, if you have the time. You can use the Saute function to brown the chicken, but once you seal the pot, know that the moisture inside prevents the chicken skin from staying crisp. It will still be deeply flavorful, however, with tender, juicy meat. If you want to make things even easier, opt for boneless, skinless pieces here, and skip the step of browning