Planning ahead:
It’s best to marinate the chicken pieces overnight.
For the chicken marinade:
In a large bowl, use a spatula to cream the Saint Agur Blue Cheese until smooth.
Add the lemon zest and juice, garlic and thyme, along with the yoghurt, olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix well.
Transfer about a third of this mixture to a separate bowl. Next, add the chopped tarragon to this separate mixture and stir well. This is the Saint-Agur tarragon sauce and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Now mix the chicken thighs with the remaining mixture – the marinade – in the large bowl. Cover with clingfilm, and leave to marinate for at least 3 hours in the fridge, but preferably overnight.
For the Provençal bake:
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan oven / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
Cut each onion and the fennel bulb into 8-10 wedges. Coarsely slice the courgettes (about 1cm thick) and dice the aubergine – not too small, keep a bit of texture (about 2 cm). Slice the pepper into strips.
Evenly spread the vegetables in a deep-sided baking tray (or roasting tin), along with whole garlic cloves. Lay the marinated chicken pieces on top. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and pour in the water.
Bake for 40 minutes and then add the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and chickpeas, and return the tin to the oven for a further 10 minutes of cooking.
Spoon over the reserved Saint-Agur tarragon sauce and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve straight from the baking tray (or roasting tin).
Bon appétit!
Here is a toast to Provence, one of my favourite places in the whole world. Aubergine, courgette, fennel, garlic, and, of course, olives – they are all flavours of this French region, and here they are baked together with chicken that is fantastically succulent after being marinated with Saint Agur Blue Cheese. I like to serve this dish with a simple salad of mixed leaves and a crusty baguette.
Special equipment:
Deep-sided baking tray or roasting tin
For the chicken marinade:
1 x 150g Saint Agur Blue Cheese
1 lemon, zest and juice only
1 garlic clove, finely grated
3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
200g natural yoghurt
2 tbsp olive oil
3 pinches sea salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
4 tarragon sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
12 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in (optional)
For the Provençal bake:
1 red onion
1 large fennel bulb
2 medium-sized courgettes
1 small aubergine
1 red Romano pepper, halved and seeds removed
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2-3 tbsp olive oil
150ml water
60g green olives, pitted or unpitted
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
50g sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 small handful flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
sea salt and ground black pepper, to season
PRODUCT
View Method
Recipe Method
Planning ahead:
It’s best to marinate the chicken pieces overnight.
For the chicken marinade:
In a large bowl, use a spatula to cream the Saint Agur Blue Cheese until smooth.
Add the lemon zest and juice, garlic and thyme, along with the yoghurt, olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix well.
Transfer about a third of this mixture to a separate bowl. Next, add the chopped tarragon to this separate mixture and stir well. This is the Saint-Agur tarragon sauce and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Now mix the chicken thighs with the remaining mixture – the marinade – in the large bowl. Cover with clingfilm, and leave to marinate for at least 3 hours in the fridge, but preferably overnight.
For the Provençal bake:
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan oven / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
Cut each onion and the fennel bulb into 8-10 wedges. Coarsely slice the courgettes (about 1cm thick) and dice the aubergine – not too small, keep a bit of texture (about 2 cm). Slice the pepper into strips.
Evenly spread the vegetables in a deep-sided baking tray (or roasting tin), along with whole garlic cloves. Lay the marinated chicken pieces on top. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and pour in the water.
Bake for 40 minutes and then add the olives, sun-dried tomatoes and chickpeas, and return the tin to the oven for a further 10 minutes of cooking.
Spoon over the reserved Saint-Agur tarragon sauce and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve straight from the baking tray (or roasting tin).
Bon appétit!
