This recipe was born one summer weekend when my friend Elizabeth Metcalfe was visiting. After a day of swimming and working up our appetites, we went out into the garden to pick vegetables and herbs for supper and made up this recipe.
This is a perfect example of how a few simple ingredients can combine to create something that is far greater than the sum of its parts. The important thing is to allow plenty of time first to brown the chicken, and then for the cream and wine to reduce, as this will really intensify the flavour of the herbs. Elizabeth went home and made it again the next evening for her partner Charlie. Use a good heavy pan that can sit on the stove and go into the oven. I like to serve this with green vegetables and some new potatoes, so that I can crush them into the cream.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 25 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) butter
- 8 chicken thighs
- handful green herbs (parsley, tarragon, chervil and lovage will all work beautifully, but if using lovage, go easy as the flavour is so strong), coarsely chopped, plus extra to garnish thyme sprig
- 1¼ cups double (heavy) cream
- 2½ cups white wine
- salt and pepper
Prepration: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 ¼ hours
Serves 4
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
- Heat the oil and butter in a heavy ovenproof frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and pan-fry for about 15 minutes, turning them once, until they are well browned all over, otherwise your finished dish will look pale and sickly.
- Place the herbs on top of the chicken and then pour over the cream and wine. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 1 hour – it’s important to do this without a lid so the sauce can reduce; the finished sauce should have a custard-like consistency. Serve garnished with extra chopped green herbs.
