… it’s been one of those weeks where my feet have barely touched the ground but if I actually had to look back and describe what it was that made it so busy I don’t think I could tell you. Maybe i’ve pushed it to the back of my mind so that I can truly switch off and experience the weekend or maybe it was all a terrible dream… plus the week ended on a rather traumatic note as we were driving up to the cottage from London, on a very dark road when a small muntjac deer darted out from the bushes and hit the car. The Viking was driving and I was beginning to dose off (quite literally you can put me in a car and when the motor starts i’m asleep) when I was jerked awake by the horrible crunching sound of what i’m assuming was the crack of deer legs being crushed by the car. Now of course there was nothing we could do about the situation, the poor beast came from nowhere and we were long gone and in a state of shock plus The Viking, being a vegetarian and an animal lover has naturally been quite traumatised by the whole thing… he’s wracked with guilt and continues to see the poor beasts face in the headlights. The front of the car was none too pleased either and a £2000 bill for a new bumper, new headlight and new side door does not make me a happy boy as I realise we have to work that same week again to make it all pay… such is the split life of those who live betwixt city and country…
garlic, mushroom and olive chicken thighs
an absolute classic here but, and I hate to blow my own trumpet, one of the best I think… plus I have a friend, who shall remain nameless, who brings garlic with her wherever she goes. I used to think she was barmy but in fact now I find it quite an adorable quirk that I totally get… and of course for me it means that I happen to have a lot of garlic knocking about because she left some here for me – when I say some I mean a lot… more than you would see as realistically necessary but again, i’m not complaining. Anyway, it means that I can make my version of the ‘chicken with 100 cloves of garlic’ or whatever it’s called plus of course garlic and mushroom is a classic so you just know it’s going to taste glorious. The garlic gets a long slow cook here so it’s beautifully mellow by the time you serve the dish, i’m also including some fennel bulb (well, you know me…) as well as spring onion for a sharper, more summery vibe, plus my favourite lemon thyme to add a little pep! I’m using chestnut mushrooms here which are a robust, medium to small brown mushroom with a lovely nutty flavour that hold up well in the roasting process but feel free to use any mushroom of your preference…
… I can’t quite believe i’m writing this because there surely can’t be anyone out there who doesn’t know about my passion for chicken thighs but should there be a lonely food lover trawling the blogs, then this is for you. Chicken thighs are a gift from god. They are the tastiest part of the chicken by a country mile, they are tender yet robust so work will in slow-cook style dishes. They have a glorious layer of juicy fat around them so are in effect self-basting. They are inexpensive and go a long way which means you can splash out and buy free-range or at the very least, farm assured. I always buy them with the bone in and skin on because they’re even tastier and they are very versatile, just click on this chicken thigh link to find more recipes…
6 chicken thighs
2 bulbs of garlic (roughly 25 cloves – skin on)
half a fennel bulb – roughly chopped
5 spring onions – roughly chopped using the whole length
7 medium chestnut (brown) mushrooms – quartered
1 glass of white wine
a handful of pitted, green olives
seasoning
1 large sprig of lemon thyme
1 large sprig of rosemary
place all the veg into an oven-proof roasting dish and lay the chicken thighs on top, skin side up.
season well with salt and pepper and sprinkle plenty of herbs on top, then carefully pour a glass of white over the whole thing
cover with foil and roast on 160C for an hour and a half, then remove the foil, turn the oven up to 170C and turn the chicken thighs over so they’re skin down, then roast for another 30 minutes, then turn the thighs back over, turn the oven up to 180C and roast for a final 20 minutes till they’re golden brown and divinely delicious!
eat and of course, enjoy!
Am curious how this turns out because never used fennel bulb and chestnut mushroom in my cooking. Yet this looks super yummy and flavorful..
What a horrible thing to happen. I feel for you. Was the deer killed or did it wander off injured, an almost unthinkable scenario!
We always drive very cautiously here in France as we're surrounded by forests full of deer and wild boar. In reality it would make no difference as they just leap out from the darkness, except of course for the boar, who kind of wander into the road and just stand there, menacingly. So far the only thing we have hit is a hare which went under the car then completely disappeared.
The chicken looks wonderful and tasty, good comfort food after a nasty experience.
fennel and mushroom are a great combination but I am a massive fennel fan so i would say that. You must try it!
I know Jean, not pleasant at all. The issue was that it was very dark and we'd hit it and moved on so quickly we really couldn't turn around and go back and in fact I think it would have been more stressful if we had. The Viking is convinced that it must have died instantly and to be fair, from the noise and the damage I can't imagine it survived… chicken always makes for good comfort food, thanks for the comment of support x
Sorry to hear about this. But on a positive, you both were ok following the collision xx On a positive, another fab recipe from you xxx
Beautiful recipe, gorgeous pic, vintage Belleau Kitchen. Sorry to hear of your motoring misdemeanours, just be grateful it wasn't worse! x
thanks Charlene, it was distressing but yes, we're both ok. x
thanks Lucy… nothing like a classic to cheer the soul!
How heartbreaking – I hate to hit any animal. The chicken does look great and I hope your week is more restful!
Having hit a deer also, I completely empathize! Thank goodness you are all right though! Here in New Hampshire, many people veer in a panic and end up in the ditch with injuries to more than the car! Hopefully, you car insurance helps out on repairs! Now … to that chicken dish! A Belleau tradition that continues to 'wow'!
Ouch! Not good for the deer, the car or for you! They can do a lot of damage. You were lucky to be able to drive the car straight off. I hate hitting any animal in the car, but sometimes it is just unavoidable…..
The chicken looks perfect though….
Sorry to hear about the motoring trauma. Sometimes there's no way of avoiding the wildlife, sadly.
I'm always happy to see another Belleau chicken thigh recipe and this one has fennel so I'm especially pleased. I try to avoid straying too far from garlic and I've hardly been bothered by vampires at all for years.