Poulet Niçoise (Chicken With Black Olives)

Submitted by roxygibbs

"A fresh, delicious dish using chicken thighs, yellow squash, and fresh tarragon. My Grandmother (from France) served this to us and we (including my 8 year old son) loved it. The recipe was an inspiration from a William-Sonoma recipe and Grandma Hilda. This recipe, I serve, over rice. ."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 6 thighs, remove fat)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 yellow squash, about 2 lbs. total, quartered and sliced 1/4 inch thick (skin on)
• 1⁄2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (ran out of flat, used curley, too)
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 6 plum tomatoes, seeded and quartered
• 1⁄2 cup dry-cured black olives, pitted and quartered
• 1 1⁄2 cups chicken stock

directions

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In an 8 quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the squash, wine, 2 Tbs. of the parsley and 2 teaspoons of the tarragon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes, olives and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbs. parsley and 1 teaspoons tarragon. Serve immediately.

Reviews

[The Robinsons]

Bien fait, Granma Hilda! I really like how this recipe uses so many fresh, whole ingredients. It's fairly expensive and time-consuming to make, but the end results are worth it -- delicious! Alterations: I needed to feed four men, so I used more chicken: to be exact, 4 thighs and 4 drumsticks (bone-in, skin-on). It turned out great! I used extra tomatoes and olives to balance the extra chicken (while keeping the squash at 2 pounds). My supermarket didn't have plum tomatoes, so I bought the closest thing I could find -- small tomatoes on the vine, bigger than grape tomatoes but smaller than romas. I served this dish with baked potatoes and green beans as sides. (I also cooked a skillet of bacon, which I used to flavor the green beans and make bacon bits for the baked potatoes.) Four hungry guys got fed, and there were even leftovers. It was the best meal I've cooked in a long time.