Chicken Provençal

Chicken Provençal (paw-vawn-cell) -- yes, we have to say it with a French accent :)
I don't speak French, although I can speak Portuguese, Chinese, and a bit of Spanish. I refrained from taking French classes in school because it was considered (and still is considered) the language of romance. Since romance was not my forte, I stuck with the unconventional languages. The only time I regret not taking French is when I am sitting in a nice French restaurant where the title of the dishes on the menu are all in French. I shamefully take out my iPhone, discreetly hide it under the tablecloth, and type the names in google translate to see what I'm ordering. The secret is out!

So, what is Chicken Provençal? It is a French country dish known for its fall-off-the-bone tender, juicy chicken cooked in a sauce made with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil (mmmm....yum...). Don't forget to get some french bread to soak up the delicious sauce!

I made multiple variations of this dish. I've tried big changes, such as using red rather than white wine and I've tried small changes, such as changing the type of salt used to season the chicken. Here is what I learned:

1. Stick to white wine -- When I used red wine, my chicken came out purple. Still pretty tasty, but purple (I'd rather not serve purple chicken).
2. Use a coarse salt to season chicken -- I use Morton Kosher salt when I season any meat. I find that the coarse salt grains adhere better to the meat and offer a better flavor.
3. Use low-sodium chicken broth -- Using low-sodium broth allows you to have more control over the flavor of the dish.
4. Remove the skin during braising -- We need the skin to be on during the browning processes for added flavor. When it is time to submerge the chicken in the liquid, remove the skin because it will turn soggy and chewy after braising.
5. Don't move the chicken during the sear -- The chicken thigh will stick to the dutch oven when we initially put it in. After a few minutes, the skin will soak in some oil and we can easily flip the chicken.

Chicken Provençal
Adapted and slightly modified from The Science of Good Cooking

Ingredients:

8 bone-in chicken thighs
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup low-soidum chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoon concentrated tomato paste
2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 handful chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 300˚F. 

Season both sides of chicken with salt. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add 4 chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and repeat this step with the other 4 chicken thighs. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from the dutch oven.

Add onion to fat in Dutch oven and cook for 3 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add garlic and stir for another 30 seconds. Add wine and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of pot. Stir in tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, thyme, oregano and bay leaves. Increase heat to high and allow liquid to boil. Turn off the heat.

Remove the skin from chicken thighs and submerge chicken in tomato liquid. Add the juices of the chicken in the pot as well. Transfer the pot to the preheated oven. Cook the chicken for 1 hour. 

Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with aluminum foil. Discard bay leaves. Set dutch oven over high heat, stir in lemon zest, stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Allow sauce to reduce, about 5 minutes.

To serve, spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle basil and parsley.