Cory's Chicken Valencia: A Winter Weekend Lunch

 

Inspired by Mary Berry's Everyday Cookbook, Cory created her delicious Chicken Valencia with creamy mashed potatoes for an over-the-top delicious weekend lunch. "Simple but tasty and with lots of flavoursome sauce, this is a casserole that you will come back to again and again," as Mary writes in her cookbook, and I couldn't agree more. So I thank Cory for making such a memorable dish, and Mary Berry for being his muse. And to our hosts for bringing us all together to celebrate good food, good friends and good times. 

Mary at her home in Buckinghamshire

Mary Berry Everyday cookbook

Chicken Valencia
Serves 4-6
Recipe courtesy of Mary Berry Everyday cookbook

2 tbsp sunflower oil

8 chicken thighs on the bone, skin removed

6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, thinly sliced

2 onions, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1oz plain flour

10 fl oz white wine

1 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp muscovado sugar

14oz cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, deep ovenproof casserole dish with a lid. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add to the pan and brown over a high heat for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden all over. Remove, cover with foil and set aside.

Add the bacon and onions to the pan and fry for 3–4 minutes over a high heat until the bacon is crispy. Add the garlic and fry for a further 30 seconds.

Measure the flour into a bowl, then add the wine little by little and whisk into a smooth paste. Add to the pan with the tomatoes and sugar and stir in well. Bring to the boil, then return the chicken and any juices to the pan and bring back up to the boil, stirring. Cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Shortly before the chicken is ready, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms and fry for 3–4 minutes until golden and just cooked. Add the mushrooms to the casserole and stir in the thyme. Serve the casserole hot with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable such as kale or spinach.