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    Chicken Provençal

    Green olives, tomatoes, shallots, fresh thyme, white wine and plenty of garlic create a deeply fragrant, flavorful base for this delicately date-sweetened braised chicken Provençal.

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    provencal chicken with olives, tomatoes, shallots, and white wine

    Pass the Rosé, S’il Vous Plait

    If we can’t travel to Provence for REAL—and unfortunately it’s just not in the cards right now—at least we can bring that idyllic, wine-soaked, lavender-scented, olive-grove dotted part of France to our dinner table. Vicarious travel is obviously not quite as good as real travel, but it’ll do in a pinch! As our regular readers will know, we make frequent (imaginary, culinary) stops in Southeast Asia and Italy, but today we’ve got the warm, sunny South of France on the brain and so we’re transforming regular old chicken thighs into an olive-y, garlicky, white wine-braised chicken Provençal. Just add crusty bread and plenty of rosé.

    Ingredients laid out for Provencal Chicken tomatoes, green olives, bone in skin on chicken thighs, olive oil, dates, shallots

    The Flavors of Provence

    Provence is a comparatively sun-soaked region of France, and its cuisine reflects that. Our this braised chicken celebrates that Provençal bounty, 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.
    salt and peppered skin on chicken thighs on parchment
    8 bone in skin on chicken thighs browned in olive oil in a pan
    browned chicken thighs in a pan with olives, tomatoes and shallots.
    provencal chicken with olives, tomatoes, shallots, and white wine

    The Best Braised Chicken is WINE-Braised Chicken (Clearly)

    If you really want to stay on-theme, reach for a Provencal 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 Provencal 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.
    provencal chicken with olives, tomatoes, shallots, and white wine and thyme

    How to Braise Chicken

    Specifically, here’s how to make chicken Provencal—and BTW “Provencal” just means “in the style of Provence”. Big flavors, moist heat, about an hour start-to-finish. Dinner is served.

    1. Season the chicken thighs. Salt, pepper, thyme.
    2. Brown the chicken thighs. Heat, oil, a light touch.
    3. Flavor the chicken thighs. Garlic, shallots, tomatoes, dates, olives, wine. Simmer.
    4. Braise the chicken thighs. Into a hot oven for an hour.
    5. Eat the chicken thighs. With crusty bread for sopping up all of that gorgeous sauce.
    provencal chicken with olives, tomatoes, shallots, and white wine with a spoon

    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, winter—particularly these dreary, post-holiday months—is braising season. Pure, cozy, comfort to carry us gently towards spring.

    provencal chicken with olives, tomatoes, shallots, and white wine

    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!

    Related Recipes

    Chicken Provençal

    Originally published: February 11, 2020

    • Serves: 4
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  1 hr 10 min
    • Calories: 547
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
    • 2 tsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    • 3 tbsp olive oil
    • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tbsp dried thyme
    • 12 cloves garlic, peeled
    • 6 medium-size shallots, peeled and halved
    • 2 pints of cherry tomatoes
    • ½ cup dates, halved and pitted (if necessary)
    • 1 cup green olives
    • 1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)

    Method

    1. Heat oven to 400° F.
    2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
    3. Heat the oil in a large oven proof pan, and place in the chicken skin side down. Cook the chicken without disturbing it for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Flip chicken over.
    4. Arrange the thyme, garlic cloves, shallots, cherry tomatoes, dates and green olives around the chicken, then add the wine to the pan.
    5. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven. Cook in the oven for 60 minutes.
    6. Serve over rice, polenta, mashed potatoes or with crusty bread for dipping.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories547
    • Protein22 g
    • Carbohydrates49 g
    • Total Fat26 g
    • Dietary Fiber7 g
    • Cholesterol84 mg
    • sodium815 mg
    • Total Sugars16 g

    Chicken Provençal

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Andrew J Gauthier

      At what temperature do you cook it in the oven?

      400 F

    • Morgan

      Can you braise the chicken on the stove? I’m a college student and I don’t have a large oven proof pan (only a nonstick) because we don’t have enough storage in our apartment.

      Yes, that will work fine.

    • Lisa

      I added figs rather than dates and carrots and served over egg noodles. Delish!

      Yum! So glad you enjoyed it Lisa!

    • Sidney Marvin

      Can I make Chicken Provencal in the morning

      Do you mean so that it can be reheated? It should heat fine. Hope you enjoy!

    • Steve Harvester

      I can’t believe you put a Cicken Provencal recipe online with no Herbes de Provencal! Any reason not to dredge the pieces in flour before searing/

      Hi Steve, it's just a different twist on chicken provencal. We chose to not use the flour in this recipe to make it a bit lighter. You can definitely dredge it if you prefer it that way!

    • Jakie H

      This is amazing! So much flavor and easy to put together. Fancy enough for a dinner party. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe.

      Thanks Jakie!

    • James

      I have made this twice now and each time it has turned out amazing. One of my favorite dishes to make. Cannot say enough good things about this recipe.

      Thanks James! We are so happy you love this recipe!

    • Alexandra Brown

      This is absolutely delicious! my 8yo had seconds.
      We used yellow onions, skinless thighs and canned tomatoes BC that's what we had on hand/the actual ingredients are hard to find near us this time of year and added mushrooms since we love them. It was great. Did add a pat of butter since the fat of the skin would be missing and glad we did BC the thighs would have otherwise stuck to the Dutch oven.

      The result was somehow silky, not pungent the way you may be scared by that much garlic and onion would be and not at all acidic. Smoky, briney but not overly salted, mellow and full of umami from the roasted garlic and slightly sweet from the dates. The chicken is tender and juicy but not mush the way some stews make it.
      If you like it spicy -red pepper flakes would be a great if untraditional addition.

      I will say, you should ensure the garlic cloves are added last. Those delicious bites should be savoured and were fought over by all of us so best to not have them in the liquid to disintegrate so you can instead spread them on the bread.
      12 Cloves = roughly 1 head of garlic.

      The pot is still hot in the stove and it's already being requested again!

      Thanks Alexandra, so glad you loved it!

    • Ayanna

      This is the most delicious chicken I’ve had in a while! This is a magical recipe in the sense that its a simple composition but what you ultimately put your fork into is layered and memorable. Thank you!

      Thanks Ayanna, so glad you loved it!

    • Jill Ciccati

      This was so amazingly delicious! Very easy to put together. The chicken was falling apart, so much yummy sauce. I did remove the lid & broil a few minutes to add a little crisp at the end. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!

      Thanks Jill, we are so happy that you loved it so much!