MIXED PORTIONS - 4 drums, 4 thighs Approx weight 1.5kg

Special chicken stew using mixed portions
ingredients

• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 chicken thighs 4 drumsticks
• 1 small handful of fresh parsley, leaves picked, stalks kept
• 1 bunch of fresh tarragon, leaves picked, stalks kept
• 4 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
• 2 heaped tablespoons plain white flour
extra virgin olive oil
• 1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
½ celery heart, trimmed back and finely sliced
• 2 good knobs of butter
• 2 wineglasses of crisp white wine
• 565ml stock
• 3 gem lettuces, quartered
• 1 small bunch of seedless grapes, washed and halved

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Season your chicken inside and out. Using your forefinger, carefully part the skin from the meat and smear a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard into each portion. Rub the flour all over the chickens so they are covered in a thin layer. Keep any flour that falls off.

In a snug-fitting casserole-type pan, fry your chicken in 3 good lugs of olive oil on all sides for 10 minutes until golden. Remove them to a plate and then fry off the onion, garlic and celery in the pan. Add the butter and spare flour and continue to fry for about 4 minutes, scraping off any goodness that is on the bottom of the pan. Add your 2 glasses of white wine and allow the liquid to reduce by half, then put the chicken back into the pan. Cover with the parsley and tarragon stalks. Now pour in your stock – it should come to about half-way up the chickens.

Place in the oven and cook for around 50 minutes to an hour until the chickens have crisp skin and the thigh meat falls off the bone. Remove the chicken to some nice serving bowls – ones that can hold a bit of sauce – and place your pan back on the hob. Add the lettuces, grapes, parsley leaves and tarragon leaves and simmer for a couple more minutes. Correct the seasoning carefully and spoon this sauce next to the chicken.