I don’t have a lot to say about this dish except that it was friggen delicious, but I’m gonna write a long ass post about it anyways because I LOVE talking about cooking.

I’m not sure if it was mashed potatoes that I loaded with Boursin Cheese and butter (the BEST way to season mashed potatoes in my opinion) that made it better, because that’s what potatoes do, but the chicken was soooooo yummy. The chicken was falling off the bone,  you could taste the fresh herbs and the red wine in the tomato sauce, and it was nice and hot right from the oven. This is exactly what winter comfort food is about; hot, cozy, comforting, and best served with wine! 

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It’s a great make ahead dish. If I had a pot big enough I would have left it in the pot to stew on the stove, but I was feeding 5 people and my dutch oven isn’t big enough, so I transferred everything to a 9 x 13 pan and let it simmer and get all those flavours cozy in the oven, which worked out really well. I made it in the early afternoon and turned the oven on a couple hours before I wanted us to eat. Having that time in the oven gave us a chance to eat a crap ton of cheese and enjoy some wine.  You already have the bottle of red open to make the sauce, so you may as well enjoy the rest of the bottle, right?

The only change I would’ve made is to take the skin off the chicken thighs, but if you like chicken skin then it’s not necessary. I used chicken thighs, because let’s be honest, they’re cheaper, but they also always stay super moist and they make perfect serving sizes. 

In case you were curious, Herbes de Provence is made with Savoury, Marjoram, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano and Lavendar. This dish, as you can probably guess, is from the Provence region of France. The French definitely know what they’re doing with food. 

I served this to my family over mashed potatoes seasoned with Boursin Cheese and butter, green beans that I quickly cooked with butter and garlic until they were just tender but still crunchy and bright, a spinach salad lightly tossed with balsamic, oil and goat cheese, and…wait for it…LOTS of crusty baguette. That last one is SUPER DUPER necessary. You can’t eat this without baguette. You need it to soak up all the saucy goodness on your plate. If you take anything away from this post is that this recipe BEGS and PLEADS to be served with crusty baguette. Wine too, of course. 

Chicken Provencal 

• Olive Oil 
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups of flour, mixed with salt and pepper 
• Chicken Thighs, about 3 to 3 1/2 pounds (skinless, or skin on, whichever you prefer)
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 red wine, plus an extra splash 
• 2 – 796 ml cans of crushed or diced tomatoes, with juice 
• 2 tbsp. herbes de provence
• 2 – 3 sprigs of Rosemary (more or less, to taste)
• 2 – 3 sprigs of Thyme (more or less, to taste)
• Sprinkling of black olives, I like Kalamatas ~
  

Coat dutch oven or deep frying pan with olive oil and heat up 

Meanwhile, mix flour, salt and pepper in ziploc baggy. Put a couple chicken thighs at a time in the baggy, and shake to coat chicken. 

Brown chicken in oil until both sides are crispy and golden. 

Once chicken is brown and crispy, remove from pan onto a separate plate. 

In the same pan, cook onions and garlic until soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add wine, and stir to pick up all the goodies stuck on the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer until thick and reduced, by about half. 

Add tomatoes, herbs and fresh sprigs of rosemary and Thyme. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes until sauce is hot and bubbling, and has thickened slightly. 

Add chicken back to pan into the sauce, sprinkle with olives and let simmer on stove for about 20-30 minutes until everything has had time to get friendly and the chicken is cooked through. 

If you want to make ahead, you can put the chicken back in the sauce,put it in the fridge and then take it out and let it simmer and get hot just before you’re ready to eat. 

If you’re making a large batch of this, or don’t have a pot big enough, brown the chicken, and lay in a 9 x 13 baking dish, pour the sauce over the top and sprinkle with olives. Let simmer in the oven at 300 for 30 minutes or longer (make sure the chicken is cooked through), until you’re ready to eat. I let it simmer in the oven for just over an hour last night while we had appetizers. Also can be made ahead and put in the oven about an hour before you’re ready to eat. 

Serve over your favourite mashed potatoes and crusty baguette! 

Saluti!