Chicken provencale recipe

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, or 3½ pounds chicken parts
• ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, halved and sliced
• 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 cups seeded and diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
• ½ cup red wine or chicken stock
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• Chopped fresh parsley, to serve

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces (cut the breast into quarters; cut the thighs in half). Remove any fat, rinse, and pat dry. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Season the flour with the salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of the thyme. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a single layer of the chicken and brown, turning as needed, about 10 minutes per batch. Adjust the temperature as needed to allow the chicken to brown but not scorch. (Make sure the chicken is well browned or the final dish will look anemic.) Remove the browned chicken to a bowl or plate and keep warm. Repeat until all of the chicken is browned.
3. In the oil remaining in the Dutch oven, sauté the onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and fennel over medium-high heat, until the mushrooms have given up their juice, about 8 minutes.
4. Return the chicken to the Dutch oven. Add the tomatoes, wine, garlic, remaining thyme, and bay leaves, submerging the chicken in the liquid.
5. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender and no longer pink, about 45 minutes, turning the chicken every 15 minutes or so.
6. Remove the chicken from the sauce with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Bring the sauce to a boil and boil until somewhat reduced, about 5 minutes.
7. Remove the bay leaves. Return the chicken to the pan. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Garnish with the parsley, and serve hot.