Other than a glass of rosé and blooming fields of lavender, nothing calls to mind Provence more than bouillabaisse. The brothy soup, originally from the port city of Marseille, combines whatever shellfish and white fish were caught fresh with iconic flavors such as saffron, fennel, tomato and garlic.
Absent a serious trip to the fishmonger, though, it’s not easy to pull off on a weeknight. Still craving the flavors, we instead nodded to that tradition by applying the flavors to meaty braised chicken thighs.
In this recipe from our book “Tuesday Nights Mediterranean,” which features weeknight-friendly meals from the region, we deeply brown tomato paste to lay the foundation of flavor for the braising liquid. Deglazing the pan with dry white wine adds acidity, while scraping up the flavorful browned bits ensures that no flavor goes wasted.
Fresh fennel, garlic, orange zest and saffron give the braise a rich, heady perfume and an unmistakably Mediterranean flavor. Any unoaked dry white wine works well here, but ideally look for one produced in southern France, such as white Côtes du Rhône or marsanne.