French Chicken Provençale

I just cooked up a fresh batch of this scrumptious chicken for dinner.  This is, bar none, our all-time favorite chicken dish.  Although I have posted it before, it has been a very long time, so I thought I’d share again.  This family favorite is Atkins friendly, so I hope all my Atkins followers enjoy this one.  Omit the wine if you’re still on Induction.  It won’t be quite as good without the wine, but acceptable. 🙂 This dish is always a hit with company and really pretty simple to make.  I actually won the Galveston Daily News Holiday Recipe Contest with this recipe back in the 80’s.  You can actually make this dish ahead of time and just add the bell pepper and tomatoes for a brief simmer after guests arrive, thickening the sauce at the very last minute.  When I have company, I usually just use a whole cut-up chicken, minus the back, which I boil for chicken stock for my freezer. More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in the cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php INGREDIENTS: 16 oz. chicken breast, skin on (cut into 4 servings)  (I often use 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs & 1 breast from a whole bird, stewing the remainder of the bird for other purposes) 4 slices of chopped bacon (or soaked, dry-cured Country Ham if you have it) 1/2 c. chopped onion 4 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms 2 lg. cloves minced garlic 1.5 c. chicken broth or water 1/4 c. dry white wine (omit if still on Atkins Induction) 1/4 tsp. dried thyme 1 small bay leaf 1/2 c. green bell pepper cut into strips 4 plum tomatoes cut into large wedges. 2 T. butter blended with 1 T. oat fiber or 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum DIRECTIONS:  Brown the chicken in a skillet heated up with 1/4 c. olive or coconut oil.  When both sides are nicely browned, remove chicken pieces from the skillet to a platter.  Brown the bacon, onion, mushrooms and garlic in the same skillet in the same drippings.  When veggies are tender, add chicken pieces back to the skillet, skin-side up.  Add water, wine, thyme and bay leaf.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes until chicken is done and veggies are tender. Finally, the last 4-5 minutes of cooking, and right right before you plan to serve, add the bell pepper and tomato wedges.  Cook another 3-4 minutes only, as you don’t want the peppers to lose their pretty green color. You want the tomato wedges slightly softened but not falling apart.  The bacon/ham usually makes this dish salty enough without extra salt.  Thicken with 2 T. butter that has been blended with 1 T. oat fiber or 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum.  Stir in and simmer for 1-2 more minutes.  Dip chicken onto serving platter and ladle the sauce over the meat. I serve this over a generous helping of buttery Mashed Cauliflower.  In my pre-low-carb days, this dish was served over now-verboten mashed potatoes. 🙂 NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:   Makes 4 servings of 4 oz. meat each Each serving has 504 calories, 33.3 g fat, 8 g carbs, 1.9 g fiber, 40 g protein, 6.1 g NET CARBS