Herbes de Provence Chicken

A year ago, I attended a friend's Christmas party and she served the most delightful herbed chicken dish. I begged for the recipe, but she made it up as she went, so I was left to my own devices to recreate it. Here is my attempt (which is admittedly pretty good, if I do say so myself!).

Herbes de Provence Blend
Adapted from a recipe found in Real Simple Magazine
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tbsp dried tarragon
1 tbsp dried savory
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried mint
1 bay leaf, crushed

Herbes de Provence Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 tbsp herbes de Provence blend
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Cube chicken into 1-inch pieces.
2. Toss with herbes de Provence blend, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Marinade for at least one hour.
3. Bake in small casserole dish at 400 degrees for approximately 30 -40 minutes or until chicken begins to brown on top and is cooked through.

Notes: I cube the chicken while it is still partially frozen. Be careful, though, because you may end up with too much liquid in the dish, which doesn't affect the taste, but is slightly less appealing from a plating perspective. My friend added juniper berries and white wine to her version. I haven't tried these additions (more out of forgetfulness than anything), but if juniper berries are hard to come by, I think capers would be a nice substitute. This is wonderful served with potatoes roasted with a similar spice blend.