Chicken, mushrooms and garlic are a great combination and in this easy pan dish they make a great family meal that is good enough for mid-week entertaining.

Chicken with Mushrooms & Garlic

In this dish I have used whole, non-homogenized milk – this milk is so creamy and delicious that I use it rather than cream when just a small amount of creaminess is needed in a dish.

We are lucky enough in Hawke’s Bay to have a boutique dairy company (Origin Earth – who I work for) that produce this wonderfully creamy milk, but if you don’t have something similar in your part of the world use half milk and half cream.

Serves 4

butter
olive oil
4 chicken thighs
250g mushrooms, sliced
1 bulb garlic, broken into cloves, peeled
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup chicken stock
¼ cup whole milk
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

1              Place a knob of butter and a splash of oil in deep-frying pan with a lid, over a medium heat, once butter melts and foams, add chicken skin-side down and cook, for 4-5 minutes or until brown, turn over and cook for 4-5 minutes longer. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

2              Reduce heat, add mushrooms, garlic and thyme to pan, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms start to soften. Remove from pan and set aside.

3              Add stock and bring to simmering, stirring, to loosen any bits on the base of the pan. Stir in milk, bring back to simmering and
simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until liquid
reduces by about half.

4              Return chicken to pan, cover and cook for 30 minutes or
until chicken is cooked through. Stir in parsley and serve with a new or mashed potatoes and a steamed green vegetable of your choice.

Note: Many of these producers can be found at the Napier Urban Food Market each Saturday morning and/or at the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’
Market each Sunday morning.

Happy cooking and eating.

Recipe by Rachel Blackmore