Slow-Cooked Chicken Thighs with Porcini Mushrooms and Marsala
Ingredients
- plain, all-purpose flour, for dusting
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 50 g (1¾oz) pancetta, chopped
- ½ garlic clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 20 g (¾oz) dried porcini mushrooms, just covered in boiling water and left to soak
- 2 leeks, finely sliced
- 75 ml (2¼fl oz) sweet marsala
- 75 g (2½oz) mascarpone
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6.
- Tip a few tablespoons of the flour on to a large plate and roll the chicken thighs in the flour so that they are nicely coated.
- Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-based casserole pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the floured thighs skin-side down and cook them until the skin has a golden colour (about 4 minutes). Turn the thighs over and seal the other side for about 2 minutes. Then, remove the thighs from the pan and leave them to one side.
- Wipe the dish clean with some kitchen paper then add the pancetta. Cook it for 2 minutes to release the fat, then add the garlic, thyme and portobello mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, drain the porcini, reserving the soaking water, and finely chop them. Add the chopped porcini to the pan with the soaking water, along with the leeks, and cook for a further 5 minutes to soften.
- Stir through the marsala and the mascarpone, then season with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken thighs back into the casserole, skin-side up, on top of the other ingredients. Cover the pan with a lid and transfer it to the oven. Bake the thighs for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp.
- Serve with creamy wet polenta, flavoured with butter and parmesan, or buttery mashed potatoes.