Thursday 3 December 2009

Susie’s Provence style chicken


This week's recipe is our interpretation of a popular recipe from the South of France that we have perfected over the years and can easily be adapted for a supper for 6 or a meal for 30. We cooked this for a visiting choir last summer in the height of the tomato season when there was an abundance of fresh basil in our herb garden and the market was full of the wonderful fresh purple garlic tresses which inspired Susie's pastel painting.

This recipe will serve 6 people. You will need:
• 6 chicken breasts
• 750 g of fresh or tinned tomatoes
• 3 medium size red onions (you can use others but the red ones are sweetest)
• 20 black olives (stoned)
• 1 large lemon
• Bunch of fresh thyme leaves
• Bunch of fresh basil
• 4 large cloves of garlic
• 1 glass of white wine
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons of good olive oil

1. Squeeze the lemon and pour the juice into a bowl. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil – blend together to make a paste. Cover the chicken breasts with the paste and place in a bowl in the fridge for about an hour.
2. Meanwhile skin your tomatoes and roughly chop them up and put on one side.
3. Gently fry the chopped onions in a heavy based oven -proof pan with the olive oil until soft, then add the tomatoes and torn up basil leaves. Cover and simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes (the scent will be wonderful at this stage)
4. When the chicken has marinated for an hour place in a pan with the remaining olive oil and sauté until browned, then add the wine and stir gently for a few minutes.
5. Add the chicken and all the juices to the tomato and onion mixture and cook in a preheated oven (175°C/Gas mark 4) for about an hour, until the chicken is cooked through, adding the black olives for the last few minutes.
6. Serve with a crusty loaf and green beans or green salad.

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