Ok so I must ‘fess up.  We eat a lot of chicken thighs in the MWCED household.  Preferably boneless and skinless, though sometimes a bit of bone and skin is ok.   The problem with skinless is that you just don’t get that lovely colouring – but better that than far too many calories I figure.   You can see what I mean with the picture from last night’s dinner.  The meal was very  yummy,  but doesn’t win any prizes for looks.   Still,  if you want a tasty, quick and flavoursome dinner, this is one to keep going back to.   Surprisingly there is no garlic in this recipe, yowser, what was I thinking!

As for the veges,  I felt like potatoes.  And we had some beans – a bit different from courgettes 100 ways – due to them being in season and in our garden.    We also have a lovely crop of tomatoes and just happened to have these wee ones – which went great with the beans.

Here we go:

INGREDIENTS – for 2 to 4 (depends how hungry you are)

• 3 slices bacon, chopped into smallish pieces
• ½ cup flour
• salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoon mixed fresh herbs from the garden (I used oregano, thyme and parsley) – or use dried (but only about 1 teaspoon if dried)
• 4 chicken thighs – one each was enough for us, but if you are hungry and there are four people then perhaps use 2 thighs each
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• one onion, finely sliced (shallots would work nicely here if you have them, sigh, I didn’t)
• ½ cup dry white wine – well I use whatever happens to be open – usually in our household it is Chardonnay
• 1 cup chicken stock
• chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Fry the bacon for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the hot bacon grease in the pan (turn down the heat while prepping the chicken).   You might need to help the bacon along with a little of the olive oil.
2. Mix the flour with salt and pepper and the herbs. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and transfer to the hot pan. (Add olive oil if needed). Pan-fry the chicken for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown (but not cooked through). Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on plate.
3. Add the onions to the pan with the rest of the olive oil. Saute for 5-10 minutes, until softened and fragrant and golden brown. Add the wine slowly, stirring to get all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and let everything cook until it reduces slightly, about 5-10 minutes.
4. Add the chicken and bacon back to the pan and then transfer to an oven proof dish and bake for 40 minutes, basting the chicken every 10 minutes or so with the pan sauce.. Skim the oil off the top of the sauce if you want.   You could also serve with bread to soak up all those juices.

vegetables

Use enough potatoes for the number of people. Mine happened to be quite large so I cut into smaller pieces. Boil until just tender.   Then put onto an oven tray with some olive oil, salt and a little pepper.   Cook in oven with chicken until done. Add a bit of butter to top of potatoes and cook under the grill until browned and crisped.

Meanwhile put green beans into boiling water for a few minutes. Take off heat and strain. Add beans back to hot pot with baby tomatoes. Add a teaspoon of pesto – add pot lid and let heat from pot/beans warm through tomatoes.

Enjoy!