Chicken Provençal

You can use canned tomatoes instead of fresh and chicken breasts instead of thighs, but the thighs remain juicier. Include peppers or other vegetables in this recipe if you want. Bayonne ham would be the right ham to use here, but Black Forest is a fine substitute.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds (750 grams) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch cubes

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence or a 2-teaspoon combination of chopped fresh rosemary, thyme and basil

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 ounces (125 grams) thickly sliced smoked ham, cut into 1-inch dice

• 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch dice

• 2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch dice

• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic

• 1/4 cup white or rosé wine

• 1 cup chopped tomatoes

• 1/2 cup chicken stock

• 1/2 cup chopped black sun-dried olives

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Method

Preheat oven to 400 F. Season chicken cubes with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Working in batches, brown chicken for 2 minutes per side or until lightly browned and almost cooked through. Remove to an ovenproof baking dish and reserve.

Add ham, onions, zucchini, garlic and remaining herbes de Provence into the pan and sauté until vegetables are browned and tender/crisp (about 3 minutes). Add wine and bring to a boil, then add tomatoes, stock, olives and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 2 minutes, then pour over chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 6.