Chicken casserole with french cognac

With the cooling weather this past week, I thought it is the perfect season for a pot of piping hot stew for dinner with wifey this evening. After a 4am morning run which seems to be quite an easy thing to do so early in the morning as I was still jet lagged, it was off to Cold Storage as dawn broke. It is such an experience to have the whole supermarket full of fresh produce all by yourself without having to navigate gingerly between isles among the sea of trolleys. In our little crowded island, this is becoming a true luxury.

This is a really simple and very delicious recipe from Gordon Ramsay which you know what; I had the pleasure of bumping into at Old Bond Street in London last Saturday. Chef Ramsay was wearing a pair of shades and dressed simply in polo tee and jeans as he stepped out from Hugo Boss with his purchase. It all happened too fast and before I realised it was actually him; he had already disappeared down the street. Anyway, here is the recipe which I have made a few modifications of adding carrots and a dash of french cognac which I just bought from London. 

1. Season 4 chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Coat them lightly with flour
2. Pan fry chicken till golden brown in hot pan of olive oil. Set aside
3. Pan fry handful of bacon lardons in hot french oven (i.e. le creuset)  of olive oil
4. Add chopped 1 white onion, 1 shallot, 4 carrots, 4 white button mushrooms & 1 tomato
5. Add bay leaves & thyme
6. Pour half bottle of red wine & simmer for 4-5mins
7. Add chicken into french oven & add 2 tablespoons of french cognac
8. Shove into hot oven set at 170C for 30mins
9. Add a dash of fresh cream & serve

The secret to doing this right is to make sure you pan seared the chicken thighs well. More colour equals more flavour. And make sure you sweat the vegetables down and coat them with all the flavours from the bacon lardons. Serve it with a nice glass of merlot and you have a piping hot stew for a tropical rainy day like today.

Prep time: 10mins     Cook time: 40mins     Level: Steady lah!