This Chicken Provencal recipe is quick, delicious and will transport you to France with the first bite! It’s fun to dream in the middle of a busy week, don’t think?!
You might not believe it but we’ve hit a real cold patch here in London. It feels even colder because Brad and I just returned from our mini break in Prague, where we braved sub zero (okay -2C/28F) temperatures for the love of art, adventure and a good goulash. It feels like we’ve been frozen for a whole week now.
Cold spell aside our time in Prague was absolutely magical and we fell hard for that beautiful city. There is something so special about spending time together while exploring a foreign city.
Just the two of us working out our way from a little airbnb in the city centre to a large castle on a hill; map in one hand, cinnamon and burnt sugar trdelnik in another.
Wandering the streets of Prague sometimes in search of a good lunch but more often than not aimlessly, just loving the moment, being together and tiny snowflakes falling from the sky.
We also ate a lot. A lot, a lot. Some Czech food, and surprisingly quite a bit of French food. Our last dinner was in a grand room of the old Imperial Hotel.
It was, as the name suggests, quite regal; from the high ceilings covered in intricate mosaic to waiters dressed in old-fashioned trousers, white shirts and striped waistcoats, exuding old world charm.
It was almost a bit surreal, I couldn’t help but feel slightly out of place there but nonetheless, absolutely loved it and couldn’t stop smiling.
I was so inspired by the French food we ate I decided to make and blog this family favourite Chicken Provencal recipe as soon as I got back.
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.
Every time I made Chicken Provencal I used fresh herbs. I just find them to be much more flavourful than the dried ones. This time I decided to make this recipe with chicken breasts for a quicker and leaner version. I am a dark meat fan, and naturally I prefer to use a whole chicken.
Not only is it more flavourful but it is also more economical. This time, though, 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!
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
- 1/2 cup/ 125 ml chicken stock
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 large green olives pitted
- parley 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 1/2 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.
Are we supposed to use the marinade the chicken was sitting in? I’ve usually heard that one shouldn’t use the marinade raw chicken was in
It’s safe to use the marinade as long as it’s brought to a boiling point and cooked for at least 10 minutes, which is the case in this recipe.
I am going to try this sometime this week. I plan on using a whole cut up chicken. The photo looks to be thighs not breasts. Should I take the breasts and thighs off the bone?
Hi Jim, this particular recipe is for boneless chicken breasts and that is what you see in photos. You can cook the whole cut up chicken but you would need to increase the cooking time in the oven by good 15-20 minutes.
Amazing and so easy!
SO great to hear, Christie!
This was perfection! My entire family loved it. I did double the amount of olives and added capers but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Delicious!
I can always go for more olives and capers, Annalisa! Sounds delicious!
Can I marinade overnight.
Yes you can John.
Made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! Skipped the tomatoes as hubby not keen on those, tripled the amount of olives (we love them!) and also used 1 tsp of dried herbs instead of the fresh. It was so good I cannot wait to make it again. Next time I will increase the volume of the sauce as it was divine. Served with garlicky mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and steamed peas. Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds like a real feast, Becca!!! So happy everyone enjoyed the meal! 🙂
Julia, I love all your recipe! I’m making this for the first time and wonder can I replace thighs ? If so, how many because you don’t indicate pounds. Thanks Jaqueline
You can absolutely use thighs, Jacqueline but I would extend the oven time to 40 minutes and cook them covered for the first 30, then uncover for the last 10 minutes. 6-8 thighs would do here. Enjoy!
Made this last n night and it was delicious. Definitely will be making this often.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Jean! This recipe also works well with shrimp or mussels!
I will be using a whole cut up chicken( approximately 4lbs)
Do you think the amount of ingredients from your recipe will be sufficient for the weight of chicken I will be using?
Thank you!
I would at least double the ingredients if you are using 4lbs of chicken, Zoraida.
Made this tonight. It was delicious! I used fresh rosemary, dried thyme [could not find fresh] and was out of fennel seeds. Followed exactly, other than the adjustments that I had to make. Thanks so much. Will defo add to the rotation!
Sounds amazing, Rachel! So pleased you enjoyed it!
Tried this recipe and it turned out amazing! Thank you so much!
So happy it turned out well for you, Sean!
Followed this recipe exactly and I have to be honest – it was not good. I found the chicken breasts to be dry even though I cooked according to your recommendation and the flavour just wasn’t there.
I guess not every recipe works for everybody. I’ve never found this chicken lacking in flavour due to herbs and wine it’s marinated in. Since home oven temperatures vary quite a bit I recommend installing an internal thermometer to ensure your temperature is accurate to avoid dry chicken.
I made them with chicken thighs (boneless and skinless) not dry at all. Next time I would add fresh garlic to add some more flavor and pepper . Try that. Same cooking times .
I made this dish for dinner tonight in my favorite Le Creuset pan, very flavorful. My husband and I enjoyed it! Thank you for this delicious recipes.
You are welcome! Thank you for such a great review, Colleen!
Looking forward to making this. Have seen the posts mentioning the fennel. Funny, I do not like liquorice, but have grown to love the flavor of fennel in my cooking. My family loves roasted fresh fennel. Loved my visit to Prague with my husband. We ate our way through the city while site seeing. What a beautiful place. The cold weather and site seeing kept us from gaining too much weight from all the delicious food we enjoyed.
I am the same way. I only like fennel seeds in cooking but no liquorice for me. Yes, Prague is absolutely stunning. We were so pleasantly surprised by how much there was to see! I hope you enjoy this recipe, Barbara.
Made this tonight. Took me longer, but it usually does my first time experimenting with a new recipe. It was delicious, but my husband didn’t like the licorice flavor, so next time with exclude the fennel seeds. Sauce didn’t thicken well so used corn starch /cold water mix at the end to correct it. Thanks for this lovely recipe.
Hi Marie, I am glad to hear you loved this recipe. The licorice flavour is definitely not for everyone. I usually have a low tolerance for it but I love fennel seeds here and in Italian sausage recipes. I hear often from people that the sauce didn’t thicken. I think it’s actually the expectation of how thick it should be. French sauces are not thick, starchy kinds but rather thin, brothy ones. However, you should absolutely adjust the recipe to your liking, so I am glad you did. Best, Julia
Hi Julia, I made this last evening & it was delicious. We will definitely make it again. Thank you for posting it and for your wonderful website!
Thanks so much for this feedback, Amy! You are very welcome!
Hi, this looks delicious!!!! Am gonna try your recipe for sure! May I ask if you think it would be ok to go without an oven though – as oven is very rare in this part of the world I’m in 🙁
You can definitely try and cook it on the stove top; just lower the heat, cover it with a lid and cook until done.
I want to make this for an eight person dinner party. Do you have any particular “do’s or don’ts” for doubling up? Thank you!
Hi Katie, the only thing I would suggest is to not overcrowd chicken when browning, do it in in batches, otherwise it will steam instead of browning. Enjoy!
Hi Julia, We made this for dinner tonight and thought of you guys. This recipe was delicious! I’ve tried several other recipe variations, including with the slow cooker, but this is the best we’ve tried. Thanks 🙂
That is so awesome, Jenn! I am so pleased you enjoyed it! 😘
Can you use herb de prevence as substitution?
Absolutely, Christy, just make sure the mix is fresh and fragrant!
I would love to try this. I do however have a question. I don’t use any alcohol when cooking. If I substitute white grape juice should I use sweet or make it punchier. Thanks for your advice.
Laurie E
The recipe calls for dry white wine, Laurie, so I think choosing a less sweet grape juice would be closer to the original taste.
tried this one tonight – it was really good. i used boneless, skin-on chicken thighs as we much prefer thighs to breasts. i did it in my cast iron pan to ensure that the skin got nice and crispy and beautifully browned. the sauce was abundant and very tasty – i think next time i will probably add some sauteed mushrooms. We will definitely fix this one again.
That sounds so delicious, Kathleen. I have used legs and thighs before and loved it if I am honest. I prefer darker meat but my family loves chicken breasts. Either way this recipe works! I am glad you thought so too.
Making this tonight! Looking forward to see how it taste with all these positive reviews.
Great, Cyndi, let me know how you like it!
You forgot to add the step of putting in the wine, yes? I put it in between steps 5 & 6. Delish!!!
Hi Kathy, the wine is added to the marinade in step one.
Going to try this recipe over the weekend. Your time in Prague sounds amazing. My husband and I spent a couple of days as part of a swing through Europe a few years ago. Reading your blog has convinced me to do what I’ve thought of many times since – go back!! Also brought back fond memories of strolling through Amsterdam , just we two, snowflakes and freezing. How fun is that.??? Thanks for the wake up call.
How exciting, Sandra! Easy traveling option is by far my favourite part of living in London. Having experienced it, I don’t think I could ever give it up, even when we are old and barely able to move I am convinced we’d still travel, possibly in wheel chairs! We are actually adding a travel section to the blog to record and provide tips about what we love so much. 🙂 I hope you love this Chicken Provencal and, as I’d mentioned in the post, it’s delicious with chicken legs and thighs as well.
So glad you and Brad had a refreshing time. This recipe looks amazing. Will have to try it. Thanks for introducing me to what a trdelnik is…will have to find one somewhere.
This recipe is so lovely and fresh. When I first discovered it I felt like it was something very new yet familiar. I hope you get to make it soon! Yes, trdelnik is legit…I wish I had one right now with my coffee!
Looks so delicious! You can go wrong with a one-pot recipe and this looks so delicious. Your trip sounds amazing too. We went to Budapest for our first anniversary (a million years ago) and it was so beautiful and a similar experience
Thanks so much, Lucy! I was worried kids wouldn’t like it but they absolutely loved it and get excited every time it’s in the oven for dinner! Yes, Prague was just perfect. I heard so many good things beforehand and was afraid my expectations were too high. What I realised they weren’t high enough! It was simply wonderful.