Braised Chicken With Tomatoes And Olives Poulet Provencal Recipes

BRAISED CHICKEN LEGS AND THIGHS WITH TOMATOES, POTATOES, OLIVES AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Let the chicken come to room temperature, then pat the pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow, flat container and dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Set aside.
• In a large heavy-bottomed skillet or a Dutch oven designed for braising, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the butter, let it melt and heat until it begins to turn brown, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a large platter and set aside.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet and return the skillet to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and cook until the wine has reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and tomatoes and raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. The add the potatoes, olives, capers, and thyme, and stir to combine. Bring the liquid to a boil again, then reduce the heat to low so the liquid is simmering, and return the chicken to the pan. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and the potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife, 25 to 35 minutes.
• To serve, place one chicken leg and one thigh in each of four shallow bowls. Spoon the sauce on top, getting some of the tomatoes, potatoes, olives and capers in each portion. Serve immediately.
• Place the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, parsley and thyme in an 8-quart stockpot. Add enough water to come up to 2 inches from the top of the pot. Place the pot over high heat and bring the liquid to a lively simmer--do not let the liquid boil. As soon as the liquid starts to simmer, reduce the heat so that you maintain a lively simmer throughout. (This could be anywhere from low to medium heat depending on the strength of your range.) Skim off any gray scum that floats to the top of the stock. Cook the stock, uncovered, for about 2 1/2 hours -- it should reduce in volume by one-quarter to one-third. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl or clean stockpot, pressing on the solids in the strainer to extract all the liquid. If you like, season with salt to taste--I prefer to keep my stock salt-free.
• Use right away or transfer to air tight containers and refrigerate or freeze. The stock will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.

BRAISED BALSAMIC CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season both sides of chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook seasoned chicken breasts until chicken is browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add onion; cook and stir until onion is browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Pour diced tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken; season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

CHICKEN PROVENçAL WITH OLIVES & ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Tip the chicken into a large bowl or dish and add the garlic, wine, 2 tbsp oil and the thyme. Season with 2 tbsp flaky salt and mix well until completely coated. Cover and chill for at least a few hours, but preferably overnight.
• Heat grill to high. Arrange the plum tomatoes on a tray, cut-side up, drizzle with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and grill for 15 mins, or until charred. Set aside.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large casserole dish or flameproof roasting tin. Scrape the marinade off the chicken pieces back into the bowl and fry the chicken in batches for about 15 mins until the skin is golden and crisp - watch out, the oil has a tendency to sputter. Remove the chicken from the dish and pour off the oil. Place the dish back on the heat, add the tomato purée and cook for 2 mins, then add the herbs, fennel seeds, remaining marinade and chicken stock. Bring up to the boil, add the grilled tomatoes, then simmer gently for 20 mins.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 4. Nestle the chicken pieces back into the dish, then stir them in to coat in the sauce. Scatter over the celery, button onions and artichokes. Bring up to a simmer, pop the lid on, then transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hr. Remove the lid and stir in the olives. Season to taste and leave everything to settle for 15 mins before serving straight from the dish.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken in 2 batches, about 8 minutes, transferring as browned to a plate.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add onion, garlic, and thyme to fat remaining in skillet and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, olives, salt, and pepper and return chicken to skillet. Simmer, covered, turning chicken occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES, OLIVES AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Put the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook undisturbed, adjusting the heat so the chicken doesn't burn, until the pieces are browned on the bottom and release easily from the skillet, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue cooking, turning the chicken every few minutes, until it's brown all over, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
• Add the onions and capers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes; cook until the mixture starts to bubble and the tomatoes thicken slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the wine and let the mixture bubble for another 2 minutes.
• Add the olives and thyme, and return the chicken to the skillet, nestling the pieces into the sauce. Adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles gently but steadily, then cover the skillet. Cook, turning the chicken every 10 minutes or so and adding a splash of stock or water if the sauce looks too dry, until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh should read 155 to 165). Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with the parsley, and serve.