This oven baked 4-ingredient chicken Provençal is the kind of practical, big-flavor dinner that feels like it came straight from a handwritten family recipe card. With juicy chicken, sweet roasted tomatoes, briny olives, and a shower of herbs doing most of the work, it turns a short ingredient list into something that tastes special enough for company but easy enough for a weeknight. It has that vintage church-cookbook charm too—simple, dependable, and exactly the sort of dish that would disappear fast at a late-summer potluck.
Serve this chicken with crusty bread, buttered noodles, rice, or roasted potatoes to catch the savory pan juices. A crisp green salad, green beans, or simply steamed zucchini make it feel balanced, and if you want to lean into the Provençal flavors, a side of white beans or a chilled cucumber salad pairs especially well.
Oven Baked 4-Ingredient Chicken Provençal
Servings: 6
Ingredients
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup pitted black or Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons dried herbes de Provence
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch rectangular glass baking dish.
2. Arrange the chicken pieces in the baking dish in a single layer, then scatter the tomatoes and olives all around and over the top. Sprinkle the herbes de Provence evenly over everything.
3. Bake uncovered for 45 to 55 minutes, until the chicken is deeply golden and cooked through to 165°F in the thickest part, and the tomatoes have softened and released their juices.
4. Let the dish rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the juices settle. Spoon the tomatoes, olives, and pan juices over the chicken when plating.
Variations & Tips
Use the right chicken pieces: Bone-in, skin-on thighs and drumsticks give the best flavor and stay juicy in the oven. If you use boneless thighs, start checking earlier since they cook faster.
Add a pantry boost: Even though the charm of this recipe is the short ingredient list, a drizzle of olive oil, a little salt and pepper, or a few sliced garlic cloves can be added if you keep those basics on hand and want a slightly fuller flavor.
Choose your olives wisely: Kalamata olives give a more assertive, briny bite, while black olives make the dish a little milder and more potluck-friendly. Either works, so use what your family likes best.
Make it meal-prep friendly: You can assemble the chicken, tomatoes, olives, and herbs in the baking dish earlier in the day, cover, and refrigerate. When dinner rolls around, just bake it off, which is especially helpful on a busy work night.
Try a rustic variation: Tuck wedges of onion or a few small potatoes around the chicken before baking for a heartier one-pan version. They soak up the juices beautifully and make the dish feel even more like an old-school family supper.