Chicken Provencal in Milton Keynes

Chicken Provencal is one of those things I have seen on menus and in shops for many years without it occurring to me that I might actually want to eat it. It wasn't a dish I was brought up on and, to be honest, I was never sure what it was. It certainly sounds exotic, doesn't it?

Then, last year, my eldest daughter was set a project at school to produce something with a French theme. Being a food-orientated (or should that be, obsessed?) person I instantly suggested she produced a recipe book on French food. Take a few stereo-typical French dishes, find out a bit about them, make them, taste them and share the recipes in a book. She liked the idea, so over the next fortnight we tried out all sorts of things. One of these, of course, had to be Chicken Provencal, which turned out to be a chicken stew, cooked in a tomato and herb sauce rather than stock. Not as exotic as I had imagined but tasty nonetheless!

The key thing that really makes the Chicken Provencal is the blend of "Herbes de Provence" used. Since the 1970s it has been possible to buy various blends of dried herbs under this name. They vary slightly but essentially include dried savory, majoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano. These happen to all grow in my front garden and with herbs at their very best at this time of year it seems obvious to make use of them and make Chicken Provencal for dinner. It really is a very simple, yet tasty dish and a lovely chance to showcase fresh herbs at their best - or failing that, can be made with a couple of teaspoons of dried herbs from a jar. Hmmm... I think now would be a good time to pick some of those fresh herbs, dry them and make my own herbes de Provence too.

Chicken Provençal (serves 3-4)

8 chicken thighs

2 tbsp plain flour

Salt and pepper

Dried herb de provence or springs of fresh savory, majoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano, finely chopped

Finely chopped onions 

Finely chopped mushrooms (optional)

1 large jar of plain tomato sauce for pasta or passata

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas 4. Remove any skin and bones from the chicken if necessary. Put the flour on a plate and season with the salt and pepper and dried herbs. Toss each piece of chicken in the flour until coated then fry the chicken in a frying pan until browned all over. Place the chicken in a casserole dish and pour the tomato sauce over the top. Lightly fry the onions and mushrooms and then add these to the casserole dish too, along with the finely chopped herbs. Put the lid on the casserole dish and cook for 1 hour. To serve, remove the chicken from the dish and pour several large spoonfuls of the sauce over the top. Serve with potatoes and vegetables.