Creamy Braised Chicken Thighs with Bacon
Ingredients
Main
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 250 g streaky bacon, chopped
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 15 ml flour
- 250 ml chicken stock
- 125 ml white wine (or extra stock)
- 125 ml cream
- 15 ml wholegrain mustard
- 5 ml dried thyme (or a few fresh sprigs)
- 2 bay leaves
- 30 ml olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- 1 handful parsley, chopped, to finish
Instructions
- 1
Pat the thighs bone-dry and season well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan or pot over medium-high. Lay the thighs in skin-side down and sear hard 6 to 7 minutes until the skin is deep golden and crisp, then flip for 2 minutes. Lift out and set aside.
- 2
Drop the heat to medium. Fry the bacon in the same pan until the fat renders and it crisps. Add the onions and cook 8 to 10 minutes until soft and properly golden — that is where the depth comes from. Add the garlic for a minute.
- 3
Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Pour in the wine, scraping the brown bits off the bottom, and let it bubble down by half. Add the stock, mustard, thyme and bay leaves and stir to a smooth sauce.
- 4
Nestle the thighs back in, skin-side up, with any resting juices, keeping the skin proud of the liquid so it stays crisp. Simmer gently, lid off, 30 to 35 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- 5
Lift the chicken out, stir the cream into the sauce, and let it warm through and thicken another 2 to 3 minutes. Check the salt.
- 6
Return the thighs, spoon sauce around them, scatter parsley. Serve on rice.