This is a bit of a wintry dish for July! But the fresh, zingy and bright flavours of tomato give a real lift to a usual chicken ‘stew’.

It’s a bit of a 70’s dish, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad! I love chicken and chicken in a tasty sauce is even better.

Try serving with some roasted new potatoes and some steamed green vegetables.

Enjoy!

Recipe (serves 2)

2 chicken thighs and 2 chicken drumsticks

1 tbsp olive oil

1 stick of celery, finely diced

1 white onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

65g cubed Pancetta

6 – 8 mushrooms, sliced

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

200ml stock

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

200ml water

150ml double cream

salt and pepper

In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Season the chicken thighs and drumsticks and then fry in the hot oil until well browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Next, fry the celery, onion and garlic until soft, then add the pancetta and fry until brown. Add in the sliced mushrooms and fry again until brown. Season well. Remove all of the ingredients from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and simmer until reduced and gone mushy. Add in the stock, tomato puree, vinegar, sugar and some seasoning, stir well, then return the chicken to the pan. Cook with a lid on until the chicken is tender (about 20 minutes).

Remove the chicken once again from the pan, then turn the heat up high and reduce the sauce down until reduced by half. I try to remove some of the tomato skins, but don’t worry if not.

Add in the cooked mushroom and pancetta mix, followed by the cream, stir well, then add the chicken. Stir well and let simmer very gently for another 5 – 10 minutes, to combine the flavours.

Serve with some little roasted potatoes and some steamed green vegetables like sugar snap peas or tender steam broccoli.