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Mary Berry Chicken Provençal Recipe

Mary Berry Chicken Provençal Recipe

Mary Berry's chicken Provençal is a classic French braise with tomatoes, olives, capers, and herbes de Provence — the taste of southern France in one pot.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 4 Portions
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 390
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Casserole:
  • 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves finely sliced
  • 4 anchovy fillets in oil roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp herbes de Provence
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 200 ml dry white wine or dry rosé
  • 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 150 ml chicken stock
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 100 g pitted black olives
  • 2 tbsp capers rinsed
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar — added at the end
  • Salt and pepper
  • To Finish:
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley and basil torn
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Zest of ½ unwaxed lemon

Method
 

  1. Season chicken. Brown skin-side down in batches in hot oil — 4–5 minutes until deeply golden. Turn — 2 minutes. Remove.
  2. Reduce heat. Add remaining oil. Cook onion 8 minutes. Add garlic, anchovies, herbes de Provence, and thyme — stir 2–3 minutes until anchovies have dissolved.
  3. Add wine — bubble 3–4 minutes until reduced by half, scraping the base. Add tomatoes, purée, stock, and sugar. Season. Simmer 5 minutes.
  4. Return chicken skin-side up. Cover partially. Cook over lowest heat or in 160°C oven 35–40 minutes until completely tender.
  5. Add olives and capers — final 10 minutes. Stir in red wine vinegar off the heat.
  6. Scatter parsley, basil, and lemon zest. Drizzle olive oil. Serve from the casserole.

Notes

Do not skip the anchovy — it dissolves completely and gives irreplaceable depth.
Use dry rosé if you have it — the regional choice and the most authentic flavour.
Olives and capers in the final 10 minutes only — longer cooking makes them soft and bitter.
Red wine vinegar at the very end — brightens and focuses every flavour in the sauce.
Make the day before — this improves more overnight than almost any other casserole.
Freezes 3 months. Flavour improves overnight.
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