Country chicken

I've done a lot of cooking at work over the last week . . . what with luncheons, Christening do's, brunches . . . that's a lot of long hours on my feet, cooking, serving, cleaning up . . .

Whew! It's a good thing I really enjoy that part of my job!



The parties are all done now and things will be back to normal tomorrow. I love the excitement of these special occasions, but, I think I am starting to get a bit too long in the tooth to enjoy a steady diet of them.

I hate to admit it, but . . . I am slowing down! A few days like this, now and again, are just about all I can, or want to handle.



Back at home this afternoon, I was ready to let my hair down and relax. This called for a lazy meal that didn't require a lot of work, or trouble.

Roasting/casseroling meals are the best for days like this. Days when I am tired and want to relax, but, I'm also starving because . . . although I've been spending a lot of time feeding everyone else . . .

I've not been feeding myself!!! (or Todd!)



This is the perfect . . . lazy . . . delicious . . . satisfying . . . indulgent . . . "feed me now" type of meal. All I had to do was to bung it all into the oven and then wait. Oh, I did cook a bit of rice to go with it and some veg, but really that takes little or no effort . . .



Highly recommended by Todd.




*Country Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A simple, yet delicious country style roast dinner. Wonderful with pasta or rice.

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces
(Or 8 pieces of chicken, I used thighs)
8 shallots
5 fresh or dried bay leaves
250g of smoked bacon, chopped (generous half pound)
2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 TBS wholegrain mustard
1 bunch of fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped
100ml of white wine (scant half cup)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
cooked pasta or rice to serve

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F.

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the shallots, smoked bacon and bay leaves. Drizzle with the oil and mix all together well. Dump into a roasting tin. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Cook in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.

Whisk the mustard and white wine together. Stir in the tarragon. Remove the chicken from the oven. Drain off any excess fat. Pour the mustard mixture over the chicken and return to the oven for 10 minutes longer. Serve warm with the pasta or rice, and any pan juices spooned over top.