Bone In Chicken With Bacon Thyme Food

BONE-IN CHICKEN WITH BACON & THYME

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180°C.
• Heat a stove-top to oven pan (eg Le Creuset) on medium heat. Add 1T of the olive oil.
• Saute the onions & garlic until translucent & just beginning to brown. Remove from the pan.
• Add the remaining 1T of olive oil, and fry the bacon until light brown and starting to crisp.
• Put the onions & garlic back into the pan, and add the mushrooms. Saute for 1 minute.
• Mix through the thyme.
• Place the chicken in the pan and pour over the cream. Bake in the oven for 80 minutes, turning twice.
• Grind over black pepper to taste & serve.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH THYME, GARLIC AND BACON

Steps:

• Wash the chicken well, removing any excess fat pockets, and trimming the skin lightly if desired. Loosen the skin from the breast and leg meat carefully. Take out any innards trapped in the bones of the cavity and let fresh water clear it out. Dry the chicken well, all of you.
• Combine the thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl. Stir well, adding the lemon zest, and strained juice, if desired.
• Slather some of the mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Put in the chopped bacon.
• Massage the remainder, as deeply as possible, into the breast and leg meat, reaching deep into the drumstick, and around the thighs.
• Tie the chicken legs. If any of the skin tears along the seam of the breast, tape it back together with toothpicks.
• Fit a roasting pan with a rack and add broth to a level that will not touch the chicken.
• Lay in the hen, breast side down and roast at 350 for 40-50 minutes.
• Retrieve the chicken from the oven, turn, breast side up. Continue roasting at 350 until done, and the breast registers 165 degrees in the thickest part. Make sure to take its temperature periodically, I find that people have other things to do and let the chicken cook lazily, thinking that it is never going to be done, and then go to check it, to find that it has already ruined. Check it, at least twice.
• Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and discard the rack. Transfer the drippings to a measuring cup. Retrieve off most of the fat, you can save some out to add back to the pan, if you feel the desire to have it a little richer, I don't really like a fat gravy.
• Taste the drippings, add more broth if desired.
• Do not have it too salty. Mix some cornstarch into a bowl with a little water or room temperature stock (about 2 tablespoons starch).
• Bring the drippings to a simmer in a small saucepan. Let the pan be slightly below the boil, and add in the starch, by degrees until it is thick and proper.
• Cook, if needed, then serve with the roast, carved up at table.

ONE-POT CHICKEN & BACON STEW

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole with a lid. Fry the chicken pieces in batches for 5 mins on each side until well browned, then transfer to a plate. Sizzle the bacon in the casserole for a few mins until beginning to crisp. Stir in the carrots and onions, then cook for 5 mins until starting to soften. Stir in the flour and tomato purée and cook for 1 min more. Finally, splash in the vinegar and stir well.
• Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the bay, cream and seasoning. Slide in the chicken pieces and scatter over the potatoes, turning everything over a few times so that the potatoes are immersed in the sauce. Put the lid on and place in the oven. After 40 mins, remove from the oven and stir in the mushrooms. Cover again and cook in the oven for 10 mins more until the chicken is cooked through and tender but not completely falling off the bone. You can now turn off the heat, and chill and freeze some or all of it (see freezing tips, below). If eating straight away, cook for 10 mins more, then sprinkle over the herbs and serve.

PAN-FRIED CHICKEN WITH BACON AND THYME GRAVY

Steps:

• Combine chicken, buttermilk and 1 teaspoon thyme in glass pie dish; turn chicken to coat well. Mix 3 tablespoons flour and cornmeal in another pie dish or shallow bowl. Add chicken (with some buttermilk still clinging) to cornmeal mixture and turn to coat completely. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• Cook bacon in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add chicken to drippings in skillet. Pan-fry until cooked through and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Using metal spatula, transfer chicken to plates.
• Whisk broth, remaining 2 teaspoons thyme and remaining 2 teaspoons flour in small bowl to blend. Add mixture to skillet and boil until thickened and reduced to 1/3 cup, whisking occasionally, about 3 minutes. Whisk in green onions and bacon and bring to boil. Season gravy with salt and pepper. Spoon gravy over chicken and serve.