Chicken Nicoise

Baked chicken with olive-tomato sauce.

Nice is a southern French city; its cooking is closer to Italy than Paris. For this dish, brown chicken parts in a mixture of 2 T olive oil and 2 T butter. Remove to an ovenproof dish with ¼ cup of fat, and bake tender in a 375 oven for about 15 minutes, basting once or twice, using pan juices.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce, as follows:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 24 pitted black olives
• 8 small tomatoes, peeled and coarsely cut
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 T tomato sauce
• ½ crumbled bay leaf
• 1 pinch each: rosemary, summer savory, tarragon
• 2 T flour
• 4 cooked artichoke hearts, coarsely cut

In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and brown onion and garlic; sprinkle with flour and cook gently until golden brown, adding a little more olive oil if needed. Add the wine, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and olives; season with herbs, and simmer over lowest possible heat for 20 min­utes.

Pour the sauce over chicken and return to the oven for another 10 minutes before serving.

Filed under Chicken recipes, Gourmet recipes.
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