Provencal Chicken with an Onion Fennel Sauce

Reflecting back on this past week, I realized it was quite the whirlwind!  So many ups and downs as I rode the roller coaster of life.  We're great, but extended family was experiencing joys and heartache and  the ripples reached our "safe harbor".  Plus, it's tax preparation time....such joy!

You'd think that I wasn't eating or cooking!  Nope, just no blogging for almost a week.  That's the longest stretch of silence in almost 2 years!  I'm back on track with this simple chicken recipe.  It's good enough for a quiet family meal or an elegant dish for guests!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

salt and pepper

dash of herbs de Provence

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 fennel bulb, sliced

5-6 mushrooms, sliced

handful of chopped fresh parsley

another dash of herbs de Provence

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup half and half thickened with about a Tbsp of cornstarch

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and herbs.  In a large skillet, brown the chicken thighs on both sides and remove from the pan.  Add the onions, garlic, fennel, mushrooms and parsley and more herbs de Provence.  Cook until soft but still crunchy for about 5 minutes.  Add the broth and continue to cook for maybe 5 more minutes.  Add the half and half with cornstarch and stir until thickened.  If you want more sauce increase to 1/2 cup of half and half, thickened.  At this point you can either add the chicken back to reheat or pour the sauce over them on a serving dish.

I'll be announcing the winner of the "name that dish" giveaway, tomorrow, so if you want to participate just comment on that blog post.  Midnight is the deadline!  Good luck!