Ingredients

• 25g/1oz butter
• 150g/5½oz shallots
• peeled but left whole
• 5 garlic cloves
• crushed
• 150g/5½oz streaky bacon
• cut thickly
• sprig of fresh thyme or a good pinch of dried
• 350g/12½oz button mushrooms
• 500ml/16½fl oz good red wine
• 500ml/16½fl oz chicken stock
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 free range chicken
• cut into 8 serving pieces
• on the bone but skin removed (or 6 chicken thighs)
• small bunch flatleaf parsley
• chopped
• salt and crushed black pepper

Directions

• Heat a thick-bottomed casserole dish on the stove
• add almost all the butter (reserving a knob of the butter) and the shallots. Cook until just browned; then stir in the garlic. Add the bacon and thyme and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms
• turn up the heat and add the red wine
• chicken stock and vinegar. Add the chicken pieces
• bring the sauce to the boil and then simmer gently for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. For a thicker sauce
• remove the chicken once it is cooked and keep warm. Cook the sauce over a high heat for a few minutes until the volume of liquid has reduced. Return the chicken back to the pan.
• Add the parsley
• together with the reserved knob of butter. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve with a dressed green salad and olive oil mash or crusty bread.