If you can’t go to Provence, Provence can still come to you! With bold sun-kissed flavors, this classic Chicken Provençal is an uncomplicated recipe reminiscing of warm summers in the South of France. It features wine-braised crispy-skinned chicken with loads of melty garlic and shallots, briny bites of green olives, tender artichoke hearts and sweet cherry tomatoes – all showered under fragrant Herbes de Provence.
This is a simple one-pan dish that is incredibly flavorful and perfect for weeknight dinners or entertaining guests. Be sure to have crusty bread on-hand for sopping up the beautiful sauce, and a bottle of Provençal rosé for sipping along to – bien sûr!
What is “Chicken Provençal”?
Not a specific recipe, “Provençal” refers to the style of cooking that hails from the sun-kissed region of Provence, in Southern France. The Provençal style is often used for preparing chicken or fish, and consists of using the staple ingredients found in the region: extra-virgin olive oil and olives from the local orchards, garlic (lots of it!), tomatoes that grow abundantly, and of course, Herbes de Provence (see paragraph below).
The chicken gets dusted with flour, browned in a pan, and then braised slowly in a pool of wine, nestled with the other ingredients. It makes for a deliciously moist chicken with a crisp brown skin, melty garlic and an incredibly flavorful sauce for mopping up with fresh crusty bread.
There likely exists as many variants of “Provençal” recipes as there are families in Provence. The main ingredients are always there (EVOO, olives, garlic, tomatoes, herbs and wine) but other ingredients can be added for extra flavor: bell peppers, lemon quarters, artichoke hearts, anchovies, capers, etc.
For this version of Chicken Provençal, I opted for the use of meaty green olives, cherry tomatoes for bursts of sweetness, shallots for their lovely caramelized notes, and tender artichoke hearts which marry great with chicken.
About Herbes de Provence
Herbes de Provence are a key “ingredient” to give Chicken Provençal its signature flavor. This is a typical mix of dried herbs from Provence and usually includes: savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano and sometimes lavender too (although I wouldn’t recommend the use of lavender for this chicken recipe).
Herbes de Provence mix can be found online, in specialty stores or bulk stores (ie. Bulkbarn in Canada); but if you can’t find it you can easily make your own mix at home. Use an equal amount of each dried herb and mix. Keep it in a sealed jar or in a tied up pouch, for months.
If you can’t find Herbes de Provence, you can simply use thyme and/or rosemary – which are two very accessible herbs.
Which wine to choose?
A Chicken Provençal is just as delicious made with either white or red wine – but not rosé! Keep that one for sipping on the side. For the recipe pictured here, I used a cup of red wine which creates deeper, heart-warming flavors. Use white wine if you want lighter flavors and lovely fruity notes.
In both cases, white or red, choose a “crisp” wine (meaning, with high-acidity), which is always the best choice for cooking.
- For whites, great choices are: Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and unoaked Chardonnay
- For reds, great choices are: Merlot, Pinot Noir or a light Cabernet are best.
- Some recipes call for Vermouth, which creates a deeper-tasting sauce with lovely botanical notes.
- And if you want to keep things one-themed, a Provençal Trebbiano white is perfect.
Cooking tips:
- I recommend you take the chicken pieces out of the fridge at least 1 hour before you cook them, to allow them to get close to room temperature. Pat the chicken dry very thoroughly, which will make for an extra-crisp skin when cooking.
- It is important to opt for bone-in pieces of chicken, as the bones will lend so much more flavor to the sauce and whole dish.
- You can remove the skin of the chicken if you want a healthier version of this dish– although I think the skin lends a great amount of flavour to the sauce.
- I like to use Spanish Queen Olives, as they are large, plump and tasty. I prefer using olives with pits as they are more flavorful and will also impart more flavor to the sauce. But for convenience, you can opt for pitted olives.
- Shallots can be substituted for pearl onions.
I hope you’ll love this Chicken Provençal with Olives and Cherry Tomatoes recipe as much as I do!
You may also like:
- Cod Provençal with Tomatoes, Capers & Olives
- Coq Au Vin Blanc
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts in Grape Sauce
- Simple Chicken Marengo with Mushrooms
- Braised Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Onion
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench. Bon Appetit!
39 comments
I made it for my two daughters and me They thought it was delicious and will probably follow you .
Amazing, thank you!
Followed this recipe exactly (Castelvetrano olives), and it was fantastic. Definitely looked and tasted like a lot more time an effort went into it than it actually required. Good recipe for Bastille Day!
Thanks for your feedback JB! And yes it’s a great one for Bastille day!
Trying this recipe today in hopes of recreating one of my favorite, memorable dishes enjoyed in Provence
Great, enjoy!
I would love to make this today, but all I have in boneless chicken breast with the skin on. Would I be wasting my time to use that?
Hi Jacqie, this is a good question. It terms of flavor, using chicken breasts wouldn’t change a lot (although the bones do bring flavor). However I am scared the breasts will get too tough if cooking for 45 minutes. You will need to make sure the breasts are cooked through, but feel free to adjust the cooking time so they are cooked, tender but not too tough. I hope this helps!
Thank you!
One of my absolute favorite recipes! I make it with my French fiancé often since it’s such a hit.
Amazing, thank you!
Hi Audrey. The recipe looks so tasty, but I have one question: do you know if I can use any kind of gluten free flour? (I have some restrictions regarding the gluten flour, but there should be a way 😀 ) Thanks in advance!
Hi Daniela, yes you can use gluten-free flour as a substitute or simply skip the flour. The chicken skin may not end up as crispy, but this won’t change the end result dramatically. I hope this helps!
Thanks a lot for taking time to reply. I’ll try the recipe during the weekend and come back with a result. Wish you all the best! 🙂
Wish I could post a pic! Made it and we loved it! Made the eggplant caviar tonight. So good!
Amazing, thank you for your feedback Penelope.
I have made this recipe twice. It’s delicious. I have also made her cod Provençal. Fantastic.
Amazing, thank you Marcela!
My new go to recipe!!!! I did use more Herbs de Provence, more like a good shake on each thigh. It was delicious Even our guest, who does not like artichokes (horrors!) loved the dish, AND ate his chokes!
This recipe always seems to win people over. Glad you (and your guest) enjoyed it. And absolutely nothing wrong with adding some extra herbs. Make it how you like it!
This recipe is delicious, even my ex husband who does not like chicken ,especially on the bone, enjoyed it. It’s very straight forward and easy to do, quick too. I would recommend it for families on a week night or to relatively inexperienced cooks who are ‘entertaining’. Excellent!
Great to hear, Barbara. And yes, my aim is always to make recipes as simple as possible, and luckily much of French cooking is (not all, of course). This really is a great meal for folks of all skill levels, and tastes great!
Husband hates the artichoke hearts
it’s definitely an ingredient that, while authentic to the recipe, doesn’t necessarily have to be included. hope it was enjoyed otherwise!
This recipe is delicious! Make it!
Thank you so much, Barbara! I agree, everyone should make and try this dish at least once.
[…] I’ve drawn on a few recipes in developing this, particularly this Pardon Your French recipe. […]
Audrey, this dish is so delicious. I made it exactly according to recipe using thighs and Chalkidiki olives with pits, served with mashed potatoes. I cannot believe the flavors that came out in the cooking. Plus it is a beautiful dish,quite impressive looking and so easy to make. I made your Tarte Normande for dessert- a winner! Thank you for another great and tasty meal.
Thank you so much, Michele! You’ve made my morning! Glad I could make your meal memorable and hope this dish remains a staple in your home.
A slice of Tarte Normande sounds perfect right now too! Thanks again!
This was delicious! It tastes just like Provence! It will definitely be made again and again. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Wonderful, Kelli! The flavors on this dish just pop so vibrantly, don’t they? Once the warmer weather hits the dish tastes even better, somehow. Sun might be the magic ingredient!
I made it for Bastille Day. This was very good, I followed it exactly except for quantities. I cut recipe in half, used 4 bone-in thighs & pinot noir. Next time I’ll use a white wine, and maybe use a black olive rather than Queen, maybe just 2 shallots instead of 3. Leftovers the next day was equally delicious.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kitty! 🙂 Thank you for tkaing the time to review, I hope you’ll make it again soon.
Turned out as a very tasty recipe.
We enjoyed it very much.
I did use button mushrooms instead of artichokes as that what I had in the fridge.
Thank you for sharing, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Nothing wrong with using what you have on hand, mushrooms would be a great choice. If you ever have a can of artichokes on hand, give it another try, they really do add a little something extra 🙂
Is the oven temp in the recipe for fan ovens?
No, I use non-convection temperatures fo recipes, unless stated. If your oven has a forced fan, just drop the temperature 10-15 degrees C / 20-25 F. Hope you’ll enjoy it!
I’m going through a divorce and learning how to cook. I made this five times already in two months. It’s life changing and the best recipe ever! Kids, their friends and me Love it! And I bought the Hardcopy cookbook. Thanks to you Audrey, for putting it online.
Extremely high praise, Rozz, thank you so much! Cooking can be very fun and very rewarding – and most importantly, it doesn’t have to be difficult! Hope you’ll continue to enjoy this and many other recipes as well 🙂