Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 cups chestnut or button mushrooms
• 3 shallots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon tomato puree
• 1 cup chicken or veal stock
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup cream 

Preparation:

• Season the chicken thighs well with salt. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot (a Dutch oven is perfect for this) and brown the chicken, leaving it to sizzle for 3-4 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, clean and quarter the mushrooms, and dice the shallots.
• Add the shallots and mushrooms and saute until they start to take on some color. Add the minced garlic and the tomato puree to cook through (just a minute or so).
• Pour in the wine, scraping down the pan, then add the stock and diced tomatoes. Add the bay leaves and thyme. Season the dish with a couple of pinches of salt and a good grind of pepper, and let simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, and a further 30 with the lid off, by which time the chicken should be tender and the sauce reduced to a thick gravy.
• To finish the dish, stir in the cream and let it simmer for a minute to bring the flavors together. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley (and maybe some mashed potatoes or bread, to soak up all the juices).