Book Sixty-Six: Special Occasions

by Chuck Williams
The Best of the Lifestyles Series: Williams-Sonoma


                     Braised Chicken Provençale


I had sworn off anchovies ever since I tried a slice of Number 10 pizza at a local pizzeria. It was the nastiest thing I had ever tasted - sorry Scott (a friend of my daughter). So when this recipe called for anchovies I was hesitant to include them to say the least.

As I have mentioned before I like to follow the instructions as stated the first time around before making any deviations; at first, I thought of adding only half of the anchovies - then I just went for it, I added the recommended amount. I'm not sure if I added too much salt to the chicken or if the anchovies over-salted the dish, so I would recommend to salt and pepper the chicken only on one side while cooking and add extra at the table if needed.

We really liked this dish. Andy said to make sure to mark this one to have again - that it is as good as any meal in a fine restaurant - even better. I love this man!

Success meter (1-3): 3

amazon

I know... I said I don't make deviations the first

time around. I was going to cook up the zucchini

as a side dish, then decided to just throw it in with

the sauce. After browning the chicken, toss the

zucchini until browned and add to the sauce at the

 end until heated through.

Braised Chicken Provençale

Serves 6

2 Tbl olive oil

12 small chicken thighs (about 3 lb total), rinsed and patted dry

Salt and ground pepper, to taste

4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes with their juices

6 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and minced

1/3 cup dry white wine

2 ½ tsp minced fresh thyme

½ cup Niçoise or kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

In a large sauté pan, warm the olive oil over medium –high heat until hot. Working in batches, add the chicken thighs, skin side down, without crowding. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Turn, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.

Remove the pan from the heat and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, anchovies, wine, and thyme. Stir to blend, then return the chicken to the frying pan, skin side up. Cover, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink at the bone, about 20 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the chicken to a warmed serving platter. Add the olives to the frying pan and cook until heated through. If the sauce is a little thin, continue to cook over medium-high heat until reduced to the desire consistency. Taste, adding salt and pepper as needed. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve at once.

Williams-Sonoma Special Occasions/Chuck Williams