This is possibly "Coq con vino", since we used Sainsburys' cheapest Valpolicella. You might like to increase the quantity of wine.
- 950g chicken breasts, halved
- 2tbsp(-ish) olive oil; you can replace some with a little garlic butter if you have some left over
- ground black pepper
- 6 rashers (1 pack) unsmoked bacon, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled, quartered and finely chopped
- 3 medium onions, finely sliced
- 4 large cloves of garlic
- 1 pint chicken stock (made up from 1 pint of water and two chicken OXO cubes)
- 380ml red wine
- 2tsp thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan over a medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with plenty of pepper and fry them in the oil, turning them until they're sealed to a light brown. Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate. Deglaze the pan with a little water.
Once the water has evaporated, add the bacon, carrot, onion and bay leaves to the pan, and cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots starting to soften. Crush the garlic into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes longer. Add the stock, wine and thyme; stir thoroughly, and add the chicken back to the pan. Add more liquid if necessary to cover, then bring to the boil.
Cover and cook for 45 minutes in a 175°C oven. (Optionally thicken the sauce with 1tbsp cornflour, mixed into a paste with cold water; add the paste, stir and heat until thickened. We didn't bother.) Serve with rice.