Chicken Provencal
This hearty French inspired Chicken Provencal will satisfy your hunger! It has everything we love; bacon, potatoes, and lots of white wine
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg chicken thigh cutlets (or 6 small cutlets) (NOTE 1)
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp mild olive oil
- 150 gm bacon (NOTE 2)
- 3 medium eschalot (finely diced) (NOTE 3)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup dry white wine (NOTE 4)
- 2½ cup reduced salt chicken stock/broth
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 tsp chicken powder (or chicken stock powder/ stock cube) (NOTE 5)
- ½ tsp salt
- 600 gm potatoes (chopped into bite-size) (NOTE 6)
- ¾ cup whole green olives
- 2 tbsp cornflour or cornstarch (may need more to thicken stew)
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low or if using a heavy-based saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in small batches, 2 or 3 pieces at a time. Place the chicken skin down and leave undisturbed and cook on each side for 5 minutes or until golden. The chicken will still be raw at this stage, but that's okay. Transfer the chicken onto a plate and set aside for later.
- Place the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium-low heat and stir-fry until the fat has rendered. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and carefully remove some of the fat using a spoon. There should only be approximately a tablespoon of fat left remaining in the Dutch oven with the bacon. Place the Dutch oven back over the heat and allow the oil and bacon to sizzle, then add in the garlic and eschalots. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until fragrant and the eschalots have softened.
- Pour in the wine, stirring until the alcohol smell disappears. Then add the stock, thyme, chicken powder, potatoes and salt. Allow the mixture to come to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Return the chicken into the Dutch oven and cover with a lid. Slow cook for 30 minutes.
- Mix the water and cornflour together in a small bowl to create a slurry. Pour the slurry into the dutch oven and give it a stir, then add the olives. Cook uncovered for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes have cooked through. If you want a thicker broth, make another slurry and pour it in, then cook for a further 5 minutes.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Chicken cutlets are what we call bone-in chicken thighs with skin on. Cooking with bone-in chicken makes it more tender and juicy. If preferred, you could also use boneless chicken thigh fillets or a mix of chicken pieces.
(NOTE 2) Rindless bacon - My favourite bacon is streaky because I like the ratio of meat to fat. However, most kinds of rindless bacon will work, but I don't recommend using lean bacon.
(NOTE 3) Eschalots (Shallots or French shallots)- I've seen the stores here call shallots 'eschalots' or 'French shallots'. Eschalots look like small brown onions but are skinny and oval-shaped. They're difficult to peel and are more expensive than other types of onions. They're mild in flavour compared to onions. We can substitute eschalots with red or brown onions, but use half of the amount called for in recipes.
(NOTE 4) Dry white wine is lower in sugar levels than other varieties of white wine. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are popular dry white wine varieties.
(NOTE 5) Chicken powder - I cannot live without Knorr Chicken Powder (not sponsored). It seriously enhances the taste in many of my savoury dishes. Although I highly recommend this brand, other chicken powder or chicken stock cubes would work as a substitute.
(NOTE 6) Potatoes - Waxy potatoes work best because they'll keep their shape during the long cooking process. Kipfler, Russet, Yukon Gold, all-purpose and low GI potatoes are great for stews.
Leftovers - Allow the stew to cool down completely to room temperature, then transfer into a sealed container and store in the fridge. It'll be good for up to 3 days.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 533kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 32gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 995mgPotassium: 969mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 175IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 2mg