Chicken Provençal represents the best of rustic peasant food bone-in chicken simmered all day in a tomatoey, garlicky herb broth flavorful enough to mop up with crusty bread. We started with bone-in chicken thighs and browned them in oil to develop rich flavor and create fond. To keep the sauce from becoming greasy, we poured off most of the fat left behind before sautéing the mushrooms and onion. Diced tomatoes, white wine, and chicken broth also went into the sauce before we braised the browned chicken; minced anchovy made the dish taste richer and fuller. We used fresh parsley in addition to the traditional herbes de Provence, and we finished with grated lemon zest and pitted niçoise olives for a chicken Provençal with authentic, long-simmered flavor. This dish is often served with rice or slices of crusty bread, but soft polenta is also a good accompaniment.
Ingredients
- 8 (5-to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 12 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed, halved if small or medium, quartered if large
- 1 large onion, chopped fine
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 anchovy fillet, rinsed and minced
- ¾ teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 4 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1¾ cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup pitted niçoise olives, chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of chicken well on both sides, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat left in pot and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat left in pot and stir in mushrooms, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are browned, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, anchovy, and herbes de Provence and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits. Slowly stir in broth, smoothing out any lumps, then add tomatoes and bay leaves.
- Discard skin from chicken, then nestle into pot along with any accumulated juices. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until chicken registers 195 degrees, about 1¼ hours. Remove pot from oven and discard bay leaves.
- Stir in olives, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
