Chicken thighs with 40 cloves of garlic, chard and heritage carrots
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
- Dietary
- Nut-free
Golden chicken thighs are cooked with 40 cloves of garlic, white wine, herbs and cream, then finished with Swiss chard and heritage carrots.
Ingredients
- 2–3 heads Swiss chard, leaves stripped from the stalks
- 4 heritage carrots, trimmed, carrot tops reserved if present
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 30g/1oz unsalted butter
- 2 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 40 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 150ml/5fl oz dry white wine
- 300ml/10fl oz chicken stock
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 20g/¾oz thyme sprigs
- 2 tbsp chopped tarragon stalks and leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 150ml/5fl oz double cream
- 1 lemon, juice only, to taste
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley and tarragon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Blanch the chard briefly in boiling salted water, then drain and set aside.
Cut the carrots into roughly 8cm/3¼in batons. Put them in a saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until soft, then leave to cool in the cooking water.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook for about 8 minutes, or until golden. Turn and cook for a few more minutes, then remove from the casserole and set aside.
Add the shallots and garlic to the casserole and cook gently over a medium heat. Add the butter.
Pour in the white wine and bubble for 2–3 minutes, scraping any browned bits from the base of the casserole. Stir in the chicken stock, Dijon mustard, thyme, tarragon stalks and bay leaves.
Return the chicken to the casserole, skin-side up, and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook in the oven for 25–35 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp.
Remove the chicken and set aside. Remove and discard the thyme and tarragon stalks and the bay leaves.
Put the casserole back on the hob and stir in the cream. Simmer gently for 3–5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Add lemon juice to taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped parsley and tarragon, then add the chard and drained carrots. Return the chicken to the casserole and garnish with the reserved carrot tops, if using.
