This Chicken Provencal recipe is a quicker and leaner take on the French classic made with chicken breasts, cherry tomatoes and olives in a light pan sauce.
Serve with Sweet Potato and Swede Mash. Can’t have enough of the French cuisine? Try our speedy Chicken Chasseur!
French cuisine needs no introduction to the world. Who hasn’t heard of Coq au Vin or Beef Bourguignon! They are famous for their creamy sauces and rich, indulgent dishes like Salmon en Croute.
However, not all French recipes are creamy heavy, this recipe for Chicken Provencal is a bright example of how to keep things light and packed with flavour!
This Chicken Provencal recipe is quick, delicious and will transport you to the south of France with the first bite. It’s fun to travel to distant lands through food, don’t you think?!
What is Chicken Provencal?
Chicken Provencal is a French classic, which I simplified and adapted. Usually made with a whole chicken or rabbit it uses dried herbs de Provence. I’ve made it with chicken pieces before, fell in love with it and immediately put it on a regular rotation.
The dish originates in the southern French region of Provence. Provence is a beautiful and sun-soaked part of France that borders the Mediterranean.
This dish uses regional flavours like cherry tomatoes and olives to create a unique but comforting chicken dish. The wine and herbs bring it together to create the fragrant sauce.
Recipe Tips
Every time I made Chicken Provencal I used fresh herbs rather than the traditional dried mix. I find fresh herbs to be much more flavourful than the dried ones. However, feel free to substitute.
I am a dark meat fan, and naturally I prefer to use a whole chicken. Not only is it more flavourful it is also more economical.
However, I decided to re-make this recipe with chicken breasts instead of the whole cut up chicken for a quicker and leaner version.
My family unanimously voted for this boneless, white meat version, and I had no choice but to concede to their wishes.
The sauce this recipe creates is like no other; fragrant and delicate, made slightly sweet with cherry tomatoes. You will definitely need a loaf of crusty bread for dipping. Delicious!
More classic French chicken recipes
- Coq au Vin Blanc
- Chicken in Wine and Mustard Sauce
- French Chicken Casserole a la Normande
- Chicken Supreme
Chicken Provencal
Ingredients
- 2 shallots chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves only
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 cup /250 ml white wine
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- Salt
- 1 tbsp flour
- ½ cup / 125 ml chicken stock
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 large green olives pitted
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine chopped shallots, chopped herbs, fennel seeds, wine and half the olive oil, add chicken breasts and marinade for 2-3 hours in a refrigerator.
- Take the chicken breasts out of the marinade and brush off the herbs and shallots as much as possible, season with salt and set aside. Reserve the marinade.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F
- In a large and deep pan brown chicken breasts in 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat until golden but not cooked through, approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate.
- Add flour to the pan and stir it in with with the oil that was left in the pan from browning chicken, add ½ of the marinade and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release the brown bits, cook it on high until the sauce thickens, which should take about 2 minutes, reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the rest of the marinade and stir, then add chicken stock, chicken breasts, halved cherry tomatoes and olives, bring to a boil and move it to the oven.
- Finish it off in the oven uncovered for 25 minutes. The sauce should reduce by a third and will coat a spoon when tested for thickness.
- Serve Chicken Provencal sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley with a side of rice or mashed potatoes.
