Chicken Provencal

Ah, France.  It's another place on my travel bucket list.  #Imisstravelling  I would really like to see the Provence countryside, the French Rivera and the Pyrenese Mountains.  Who wouldn't? 🏔The scenery looks spectacular and, let's be honest the food sounds extraordinary.  Something that I definitely need to taste for myself.  Classic french food like cassoulet and coq au vin, crepes Suzette and buttery French pastries.  🥐

I'm not a professionally trained chef.  I'm just a housewife and a mom who has a love (borderline obsession) with food. 🤣 I learned how to cook from my mom and my grandma and sometimes - the internet.  I am so thankful for the foodie family that I was lucky enough to grow up in and the fact that these amazing women invested in me and my passion for food.  They were deliberate and patient when it came to teaching me how to cook longstanding family favorites like ravioli and meatballs.   👩🏻‍🍳

​Quite honestly, I was probably the worst student in the kitchen.  My grandmother would portion out handfuls of flour onto her perfectly seasoned wooden board for homemade raviolis and I would go behind her and scrape it into a measuring cup as fast as I could so I could record her exact measurements.  She was trying to teach me to "feel" the dough and I was focused on taking accurate notes so I could recreate the dish on my own.  🤦🏻‍♀️

My grandmother shared a lot of recipes with me but I think the greatest thing that I learned from her was to cook from feeling instead of from a recipe. After years of watching her prepare and serve great Italian food, I finally started to develop some instincts about what to add to a dish and I had to learn to trust those feelings.  Because of her, I feel like my cooking style is much different than it would have been if I had attended a fancy cooking school.  

Don't get me wrong, I would love to be professionally trained and I have mad respect for anyone who goes through the rigorous training to earn the title of "chef."  The most prestigious of chefs in my book are French trained chefs.  They're masters of all things butter, chicken, herbs, cheese and all foods comforting.

Provençal cooking refers to dishes prepared from ingredients in a specific Province in France.  Olive oil, garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil and marjoram are traditionally found in Provencal dishes.   That speaks to this Italian girls heart right there.  Chicken Provencal is one of the first things that I'm going to try when I finally make my trip to France.  🇫🇷

Chicken Provencal
4 bone in chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup flour
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon anchovy paste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cu kalamata olives, halved
1/2 cup dry white wine
​1/2 cup fresh parsley

Pat chicken dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle with 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper.

Place flour in dish and dredge chicken in flour.  Turn to coat.  Shake off excess flour.  Reserve 1 t. flour.

Heat oil in skillet.  Add chicken and cook until browned on each side.  Remove.

Pour off all but 2 T. fat from pan.  Add shallots to pan and cook until soft. 

Stir in garlic, thyme, anchovy paste, red pepper and reserved flour.  Cook 30 sec.

Stir in tomatoes, olives, wine, 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. 

Return chicken to skillet and bring sauce to a boil.  

Transfer skillet to oven and cook 30 minutes at 400.  

Serve chicken with parsley. 

​Winner, winner chicken dinner!  If you've got an overabundance of tomatoes in your garden this summer and you're looking for a great way to use them - I suggest this dish!  🍅

Ciao!

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