Ingredients

The following ingredients have 6 Servings
  • 1 large 2kg (4½ lb) chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
  • 100g (4oz) streaky bacon, chopped
  • 25g (1oz) soft butter, plus extra for the sauce
  • 200g (8oz) small onions or shallots, whole and peeled
  • 150g (5oz) button mushrooms
  • 2 carrots, cut into chunks
  • 1 stick celery, cut into chunks
  • Bouquet garnish (bay leaf, thyme, parsley stalks, black peppercorns)
  • 500ml (18fl oz) chicken stock
  • 300ml (½ pt) white wine
  • 25g (1oz) plain flour
  • 2tbsp double cream
  • Chopped fresh parsley

Instruction

  • In a large cast-iron casserole or frying pan, heat a little oil and brown the chicken pieces all over, then transfer to a plate (you may need to do this in batches). Brown the bacon and put it on the plate with the chicken. Add a knob of butter to the oil in the casserole and gently brown the onions and mushrooms, before adding the chicken and bacon back into the casserole.
  • Add the carrot, celery, bouquet garni, chicken stock, and wine to the chicken and season well. Cover and transfer to a preheated oven at 170ºC (325ºF, gas mark 3) for 30-40 mins.
  • With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a large dish and keep warm. Mix the flour and butter together to form a paste (called a beurre manie).
  • Bring the sauce in the casserole to the boil and add a small amount of the beurre manie to it, whisking continuously until dissolved. The mixture should begin to thicken. Add the rest of the beurre manie a little at a time until you have reached the desired thickness (you may not need all of it).
  • Stir in the double cream, then pour over the chicken and sprinkle with some chopped parsley.
  • <strong>Slow cooking method:</strong> If you're planning to make yours in a slow cooker, follow step 1 and then add the remaining ingredients apart from the cream to your slow cooker, give everything a good stir and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6 hours. stir in the cream before serving and sprinkle more parsley. If you&rsquo;re using a slow cooker to cook your casserole you can use raw chicken but you need to cook it for about 4-6 hours. Make sure you check the chicken before removing it from the slow cooker. The meat needs to be white with no red meat. <p class="p1"></p>