Prep and cook 35 min
A delicious, quick and easy one-pan chicken recipe filled with the Mediterranean flavors of garlic, herbs, tomatoes and olive oil.
Chicken Provençale is not a French classic.
Neither is it trendy although it was for some time a popular item in French Bistros but I have not seen it on a menu in decades. It is never mentioned in any of the food magazines or web site I follow as a “must have recipe” in your repertoire and I am told by a friend from Aix-En-Provence there is no “definitive” recipe.
It does sound fancy but it is not. All Chicken Provençale means is chicken cooked Provence style, that usually means lots of garlic, herbs, tomatoes and olive oil and I love the dish because it brims with all the warmth and flavors of the Mediterranean.
I first learned about the recipe in London in the 60’s when Elizabeth David (England’s Julia Child) published her book, French Provincial Cooking . In it she introduced the then groundbreaking concept of cooking with garlic and fragrant herbs at a time when anything French was imbued with mystique and sophistication.
I was immediately taken by her recipes and how their wonderful aroma filled our kitchen. It was as if an exotic genie was let out of a bottle and allowed to gently waft through the air.
Her book became my own cooking reference for decades with this dish a favorite of mine. It should be on your repertoire because it is a delicious, quick and easy one-pan recipe perfect as a mid week dinner or special occasion meal.
Chicken Provençal
by
Derek Farwagi
Ingredients
- 3-4 Skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 Medium sized yellow onion chopped in chunks.
- 4-5 Garlic cloves. peeled and kept whole
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- A jarred anchovy filet or 1/2 tspn of anchovy paste.
- ½ Can of diced tomatoes, drained
- ½ cup Dry white wine
- ½ cup Chicken stock
- 1 ½ tsp Dried herbes de Provence. You can also use 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme and a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary instead.
- ¼ cup Black olives, halved
- 2 2tbsp Coarsley chopped Italian parsely
- 1 Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat thighs dry and salt and pepper both sides.
- Bring 1 tbsp of olive oil to medium heat and sear thighs until they start browning, about 4-5 minutes each side. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate.
- In the same pan, add a little more oil, increase heat and cook onions for a couple of minutes. Add garlic cloves and continue cooking for about two minutes more until onions are translucent and garlic cloves have released their aroma.
- Add tomato paste and anchovy (mash filets if using with the back of a wooden spoon) and stir for a minute until tomato paste starts to caramelize and mashed anchovy is cooked.
- Deglaze the pan with 1/2 a cup of white wine and simmer for a minute or two until it is reduced by half.
- Stir in tomatoes and chicken stock. Add the herbs, chicken thighs with any juices that have accumulated on the plate and simmer on a low heat for about 15 minutes.
- Add olives and cook for a further 5 minutes. Test chicken to see if juices run clear.
- Salt to taste, garnish with parsley and serve hot.
Notes
Jane
Sounds delicious! Wondering when you add the tomatoes? Assuming after you let the wine reduce?
Derek Farwagi
Jane,
You are right and I apologize for that omission. Add the tomatoes after you have reduced the wine.
Enjoy.
Derek