Recipe: Provencal Chicken or Fish (with fennel, olives and tomatoes)

PROVENCAL CHICKEN

"Provencal ingredients are sunny and bold. Olives, fennel, rosemary - all bright, fragrant, and full of flavor. The cooking aromas put me in a great mood way before the food hits the table."

1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs, or a combination
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
4 cubes frozen crushed garlic
1 cup white wine
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can chopped tomatoes in juice
1 cup black or green olives, or a combination

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and thyme. Use this spice mixture to season the chicken.

In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Working in batches, brown the chicken on both sides, transferring to an ovenproof baking dish as you go.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan, and saute the onion and fennel until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, remove the leaves from one rosemary sprig, finely chop, and set aside.

Add the chicken broth and tomatoes, along with the remaining rosemary sprig, to the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the chicken, and roast in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes. Add the olives in the last 5 minutes of cooking to warm them. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove the rosemary sprig from the sauce. Scatter the chopped rosemary over the chicken before serving.

VARIATION:

PROVENCAL FISH:
The flavors of this sauce also pair well with fish fillets, especially swordfish or halibut. Skip the browning step, and either simmer or roast the fillets in the sauce until cooked through. Depending on the thickness of the fish, 10 to 12 minutes should do it.

Makes 4-6 servings
Adapted from source: The I Love Trader Joe's Around the World Cookbook by Cherie Mercer Twohy