Dad’s Favourite Chicken Dish

Serves 6-8

Time 1 hour and 50 minutes

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ red onion, thick slices
4 garlic cloves, crushed
380g speck, rind removed (reserved to render) diced into thick pieces
Salt & pepper

6 medium shallots, left whole
1 red capsicum chopped
500g mushrooms, white button and king brown, halved
2 chorizo sausages, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary
1 bunch tarragon, leaves
½ cup brandy
½ cup white wine
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 x (400g) cans of crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock 

To serve
Sourdough bread

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C. 

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place a pan on a high heat. Brown chicken thighs in batches, skin side down then add olive oil, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, allowing the fat to render. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken thighs to a large oven proof pot over a low heat.

In the same pan that the chicken was seared, add speck rind with remaining oil and allow to render for 2-3 minutes. Now add speck, capsicum, mushrooms, chorizo, shallots, bay leaf, rosemary, tarragon, brandy, white wine, tomato paste, tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir ingredients through and allow to simmer for a few minutes. 

Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover with baking paper and place an oven proof lid on the pot. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread.