Rach shares her version of an easy French classic recipe, Chicken Provençal, which combines the zesty flavors of Southern France—olives, fennel, tomatoes—with boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Try pairing it with John's pour-and-stir, sangria-inspired cocktail he calls Midnight In The South Of France.
Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Whisk up marinade: garlic, herbs, fennel seed, pepper, salt, zest, white wine, olive oil, add chicken and refrigerate 1 hour to 1 day.
To prepare, heat a large heavy pot over medium heat with butter, melt 2 tablespoons and brown chicken (shaking off the excess marinade but reserving it) and remove from pan. Add remaining butter and add shallots, onion, fennel and crushed garlic, sauté to soften 5 to 6 minutes, add olives and sprinkle in flour, stir, add half the marinade, discard the rest. Let reduce by half, add stock and thicken a bit. Add the tomatoes and slide the chicken back in and nest into sauce, roast 20 minutes more, serve with crusty bread.