Recipe: Chef Kevin Belton's Chicken Provencal & Ratatouille

NEW ORLEANS —

Chicken Provencal for Bastille Day

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Creole seasoning 
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup olives of your choice, pitted and coarsely chopped 
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving
• lemon wedges, for serving
• crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add olive oil to a large oven-safe skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Season chicken thighs liberally with Creole seasoning. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear for 3-4 minutes per side or until deeply golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside on a plate.
2. Add the shallot and garlic to the pan, scraping up the brown bits with a spatula, cooking for 30 seconds to a minute or until fragrant. Add the white wine, continuing to scrape up the brown bits. Increase heat to high and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add the butter and continue to simmer until melted.
3. Add the chicken and its juices back into the skillet, along with the cherry tomatoes, olives, rosemary and thyme. Season the skillet with kosher salt and pepper. Make sure all of the ingredients are nestled down into the skillet and its liquid. Bake for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, and tomatoes are starting to cook down and burst.
4. Discard the rosemary and thyme.
5. Serve chicken and finish with chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

Ratatouille

Ingredients

• Vegetables
• 2 eggplants
• 6 roma tomatoes
• 2 yellow squashes
• 2 zucchinis
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided 
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced and divided 
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• kosher salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 8-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped and divided 
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme 
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven for 375 degrees.
2. Slice the eggplant, tomatoes, squash and zucchini into approximately ¹⁄₁₆-inch rounds, then set aside.
3. Heat the 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a 12-inch oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion,  half of garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove from heat, then add half of the basil. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula.
4. Arrange the sliced veggies in alternating patterns, on top of the sauce from the outer edge to the middle of the pan. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Spoon the herb seasoning over the vegetables.
6. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, then bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
7. Serve while hot as a main dish or side dish.

More Stories: 

► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.