Chicken fricassée with Dijon mustard, vinegar and fresh thyme

Serves 3-4:

• 4 chicken legs cut into drumsticks and thighs, leave the skin on
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 2 -3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 120 ml of white wine
• leaves picked from 2-3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• grated zest of half a lemon
• olive oil
• pinch of sugar
• salt 
• pepper
• fresh parsley for garnish

For the marinade:

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
• grated zest of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

*You can always use fresh rosemary instead of thyme if you wish to do so.

In a bowl mix all the ingredients for the marinade and coat the chicken with it. Leave to marinate for  a minimum of 3 hours or even overnight.

On a medium to high heat, in a large casserole, fry the chicken pieces (remove any garlic and thyme leaves after marinating) in the olive oil. Allow 5-7 minutes for each side until golden brown. Season with some salt and pepper. 

Pour in the white wine and boil until it has reduced. Now add the garlic, tomato, lemon zest and sprinkle the chicken with the thyme leaves.

In a cup mix the mustard with vinegar and a pinch of sugar. Pour the mixture over the chicken.

Cover the casserole and transfer to the preheated oven at 160 C and bake for around 60 minutes. An organic chicken will take a bit longer to bake until it almost falls apart because the meat is tougher. The cooking liquid shouldn’t boil but gently simmer instead.

Baste the chicken thighs and drumsticks from time to time to make sure that they are all lovely, moist and tender.

If you wish to crisp up the chicken skin, take the lid off for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Serve with a creamy potato purèe and ratatouille.