Chicken Provencal with White Pan Sauce (VIDEO)

I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.

Today I want to share my ultimate recipe with you: Chicken Provencal. Super quick and easy, with no extra prep time added to marinade the chicken breasts.

A few weeks ago I posted about how to make chicken stock, and instead of just buying chicken bones, I bought a whole chicken. It's much more convenient to buy that way, right? Not every supermarket carries just the bones, and it can be especially hard to find organic bones. After removing the bones, I reserved the beautiful breasts (with skin on) and boneless thighs for other uses.

What it is Chicken Provencal?

Chicken Provencal is a classic French dish. The region it comes from is not far from Italy, so you can definitely see the influence of Mediterranean cooking in this dish.

It looks very elegant and can easily be served for your next romantic dinner. But at the same time, it's very rustic and one of those dishes where everyone has their own variation on the recipe. There's no such thing as right or wrong when it comes to Chicken Provencal. For instance, some people feel like olives are a must, but I left them out because my husband isn't a big fan (Oh yeah, have I mentioned he's a picky eater?! I think it's because of the limited variety of whole foods in his childhood, but trust me. I'm working on it!). Adding or leaving out ingredients is totally up to you! Some popular additions are olives, cherry tomatoes, capers, artichokes, belle peppers, and spinach. Grab what you have (or what looks good at the store), and you can't go wrong with this dish.

What Do I Love About This Dish?

This is a delicious chicken dish! It's one of my favorites, and it also happens to be super simple to make. It's elegant and comforting at the same time. Even though we tend to eat more red meat, I really enjoy making this dish.

Also, this dish is cooked in ONLY ONE PAN!

If anything like me, you love any recipe that is:

1. Made with real food ingredients (whole foods),

2. Easy to make,

3. Ready to eat in under 30 minutes, and

4. Cooked in one pan (less cleaning)!

This dish meets all those criteria!

Why Chicken With Skin?

Actually, with skin on and bone in is best. A few weeks ago I promised I'd show you what to do with leftover breasts after I butcher the whole chicken for stock. That's the only reason I didn't have bones in the chicken today.

I love whole foods, and the whole idea of eating whole foods is for food to be minimally processed, the way our grandparents ate. When I say "the whole animal," I really mean "the whole animal." That includes all organs and the whole egg with the egg yolk. Besides, skin makes food naturally delicious, and it's so easy to cook. No marinades or other seasonings are needed. Great, isn't it? Based on Dr. Oz's claims, the fat found in the chicken skin is mostly monounsaturated, which is a healthy fat. The skin provides valuable fat-soluble vitamins and antimicrobial fatty acids.

Can I Make It Without Skin?

Yes, if this the only kind you have, go for it. But, remember, the skin is where the most flavor is.

Why is Buying Organic Chicken Important?

Battery-raised chickens are subjected to crowded living conditions and often substandard feed; they require frequent doses of antibiotics and growth hormones to reach adulthood. Many develop cancers, and these cancerous chickens are not necessarily discarded. According to researcher Virginia Livingston Wheeler, these cancers can be transmitted to humans. The source of organic, cage-free or pasture-fed chickens from the farmers market is well worth the additional price.

Chicken Stock

Quality chicken stock is the key to good sauce. Chicken stock provides a concentrated source of minerals and hydrophilic colloids that make your entire meal more digestible. I love how this dish comes together with a delicious, simple pan sauce. In the video I used homemade chicken stock, and I heartily recommend you make some yourself (see my recipe for it here). You can also buy good-quality chicken stock from the freezer or refrigerator section in the supermarket. Don't get the boxed chicken stock.

Note on Substitutions

If you wish to have this dish be gluten free, leave out the all-purpose flour. It's not going to affect the flavor at all, but it will make the sauce a bit more on the runny side. If you're not going to use all-purpose flour, I recommend corn starch or sweet rice flour for breading.

If you don't have shallots, it's not a problem. Use scallions (white part only) instead.

Serving Note

This chicken is so good on it's own, but if you want make a whole meal out of it, I suggest serving over mashed potatoes, rice, or nice crusty bread to soak up all the sauce. Believe me, you'll want to eat all the sauce! For a low carb alternative to mashed potatoes, check out my recipe for Cheesy Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes".

Let's begin...

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Autor: Inna of innichkachef.com

Serves: 2 generous portions

Chicken Ingredients

2 chicken breasts (skin on)

1-2 teaspoons Celtic salt

Few turns of black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for breading, see note above for gluten free option)

3 tablespoons olive oil (for pan frying)

Sauce Ingredients

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 shallot, finely chopped (see note above for substitution)

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Pinch of dry thyme

1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/4 cup white wine (I used Pinot Grigio in the video)

2-3 tablespoons cold butter

Chopped parsley (for garnish)

Directions

1. To prep the chicken breasts, first wash the chicken breasts and dry them with a paper towel. Place one chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and beat with a meat tenderizer so the whole piece is the same thickness. Repeat with the other chicken breast.

2. Bread the chicken breasts.

3. In a large steel pan, heat the olive oil. Carefully place the breaded chicken breasts in the pan one at a time, avoiding splashing yourself with hot oil.

4. Preheat the oven to 375F while you work on the next step.

5. Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 5 minutes per side.

6. Move the pan to the 375F oven for about 10 minutes, then remove the chicken breasts from the oven (leaving the drippings in the pan)and let them rest on your serving platter.

7. While the chicken is baking, start making the sauce. Chop the shallot, garlic, and rosemary.

8. Place the frying pan with the drippings back on the stove on medium low heat and add the shallots and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook for a minute or so, then add the garlic and rosemary. Cook another few minutes until the onion and garlic look translucent.

9. Add the wine and increase to high heat. Let cook for 2 minutes.

10. Lower the heat and add a pinch of dry thyme and your chicken stock. Continue cooking for a few minutes until the sauce becomes nice and bubbly. Then add the cold butter and stir until the butter melts. This step is very important. In a minute or so, you'll see the liquid come together to make a beautiful, glossy-looking sauce.

11. Pour the hot sauce over your rested chicken breasts, and garnish with chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.