Pass the Rosé, S’il Vous Plait
French cuisine offers many simple and classic dishes we’ve added to our repertoire–Braised Leeks with Beurre Blanc, Coq au Vin, and the Croque Monsieur are amongst our favorites. Chicken Provençal transforms regular old chicken thighs into a white wine-braised, olive-y, garlicky feat of culinary delight. Just add crusty bread and plenty of rosé.
The Flavors of Provence
Provence is a sun-soaked region of France, and its cuisine reflects that. Our braised chicken with herbs de Provence celebrates the bounty of that terroir, using:
Olives. Olive groves are abundant in Provence, and the region produces truly excellent olive oil. Their briny bite brings a disproportionate amount of deliciousness to this simple braised chicken.
Wine, of course! White wine, specifically. Use a dry white wine that you enjoy drinking. More on that in a minute!
Herbs. You may have heard of the classic, lavender-flecked herb blend, Herbes de Provence, and if you’ve got some on-hand, go ahead and use it in this recipe! However, to keep things simple and approachable, we’re only calling for thyme. With so many big flavors at play, the braised chicken is still fragrant and delicious even with just thyme.
Tomatoes. You’re probably already familiar with one of Provence’s other famous tomato-laden culinary exports—Ratatouille!
Garlic. Fresh garlic and lots of it—we just know that we’d be right at home in Provence.
What Wine Goes With Chicken Provençal?
If you really want to stay on-theme, reach for a Provençal white wine for this delicious braise. Remember, braising is a moist-heat cooking method—as opposed to roasting, which relies primarily on dry-heat—and in this case, the moisture will come from the tomatoes and the FULL CUP of wine that you add to the pot. You can use any wine you enjoy drinking, but if you want to have a little fun, why not try a Provençal white wine? Here are a few common white wines from Provence:
Ugni Blanc. Also called “Trebbiano Toscano”, Ugni Blanc is a commonly planted varietal in France, and yields a crisp, tart white wine. It’s a little hard to find here in the U.S. but if you can find it, it’s often pretty inexpensive.
Marsanne / Roussanne. We’re combining these two grape varieties because that is what winemakers usually do—blend them! Marsanne is a French grape varietal that gives wines a little body and heft—kind of like Chardonnay. Roussanne is similarly full-bodied, but has an herbal, sometimes floral perfume that distinguishes it from Marsanne. Together, they’re a classic Rhône Valley white wine blend.
Grenache Blanc. Popular in Spain (where it’s called Garnacha or Garnatxa Blanca) and Southern France, Grenache Blanc isn’t too hard to find in the U.S., and is often quite affordable—yay for that! Use a Spanish or French bottle—either would be delicious in chicken Provençal.
How to Make Chicken Provençal
Specifically, here’s how to make roasted Provençal chicken—and BTW “Provençal” just means “in the style of Provence”. How to pronounce chicken Provençal? When you see the letter “c” with the curved symbol attached, the cedilla, that means the “c” is pronounced as an “s”--so this is pronounced pro-ven-sall. It also means big flavors, moist heat, and a dinner that’s ready in about an hour start-to-finish. Bon app!
Season the chicken thighs. Salt, pepper, thyme.
Brown the chicken thighs. Heat, oil, a light touch.
Flavor the chicken thighs. Garlic, shallots, tomatoes, dates, olives, wine. Simmer.
Braise the chicken thighs. Into a hot oven for an hour.
Eat the chicken thighs. With crusty bread for sopping up all of that gorgeous sauce.
Tools You’ll Need:
- Large oven proof pan—this is a great job for your Dutch oven—with a lid. The lid is a must!
- Sharp knife.
- Tongs are handy for browning the chicken thighs.
- Rosé for drinking. Not essential, but highly recommended. It may not actually be sunny outside, but we can certainly pretend.
Braise Baby, Braise.
In our homes, braising season is a year-round sport. Pure, cozy, comfort food to make for any meal.
Hey, Let Us Know How You Liked This, OK?
Snap a photo of your chicken Provençal and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can see! Happy eating!
