Chicken Provencale

This is Provence in one baking dish: chicken pieces browned for color, then settled on top of a bean-tomato-carrot stew seasoned with thyme, oregano, garlic, and onion. The slow oven turns the whole thing into something close to a quick cassoulet, with the beans drinking in chicken drippings and the tomatoes breaking down into a thick, herbed sauce.

The browning step is where you build all the deep flavor. Get the chicken skin properly golden in the skillet before transferring it to the baking dish. The crusty bits left behind in the pan are exactly what flavors the onions and garlic that go in next, which then layer everything below the chicken with a toasted, savory base. By the time the bake finishes, the chicken juices have basted the beans and the whole thing reads as a complete meal in a single dish.

Pro Tips

• Pat the chicken pieces dry before browning. Wet skin steams instead of browning, and you lose the crust that flavors the rest of the dish.
• Brown the chicken in batches if the pan is crowded. A crowded pan steams instead of searing.
• Rinse canned beans well before adding. The canning liquid is salty and slightly metallic and will throw off the sauce.
• Slice the carrots into rounds or half-moons for even cooking. Whole carrots can stay raw at the center even after an hour in the oven.
• Let the dish rest 10 minutes after baking before serving. The flavors meld and the sauce thickens slightly during the rest.

Variations

• Use bone-in chicken thighs in place of a cut-up whole chicken for juicier, more forgiving meat.
• Stir pitted olives and capers into the bean mixture for a more pronounced Provencal lean.
• Add a splash of white wine to the pan after sauteing the onions, before the rest of the ingredients go in.