Slow-braised Garlic Chicken

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme, freshly chopped
• 6 chicken legs
• 18 slices streaky bacon
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ounce butter
• 18 shallots, peeled
• 12 garlic cloves, unpeeled but split
• 3 cups wine
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350°f
• 2 heat 1tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms and the thyme until all the excess moisture has evaporated and the mixture is quite dry. season and leave to cool.
• 3 loosen the skin away from one chicken leg and spoon a little of the mushroom paste underneath.
• 4 season the leg all over, then wrap three bacon slices around the thigh end. repeat with remaining chicken legs, then dust using 1tbsp flour.
• 5 melt the butter with the remaining 1tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. keeping the heat high, fry the chicken legs, in batches of two, seam side down, until golden.
• 6 turn the legs, brown the other side, then transfer to a deep, ovenproof, lidded pot. the browning process should take a good 8–10min per batch.
• 7 next, brown the shallots and garlic in the same frying pan. sprinkle over the remaining flour and cook for 1min.
• 8 pour in the wine. bring to the boil, stirring, and add to the chicken with the bay leaves.
• 9 cover and cook in the oven for 11/2hr.