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Cooking FEVERishly — tomato and basil chicken with creamy polenta

INGREDIENTS

• 15ml olive oil

• 250g streaky bacon, cut in quarters

• 8 chicken thighs

• 8 chicken drumsticks

• 4-5 leeks, sliced

• 4 cloves garlic, slivered

• 250ml prepared chicken stock

• 1 can tomato puree

• 2 bay leaves

• 15ml cake flour

•1 5ml lemon juice

• 1 punnet rosa tomatoes, halved

• 125ml fresh basil, torn into pieces

POLENTA:

• 1l chicken stock

• 250ml fine ground polenta

• sprig of finely chopped rosemary

• 30 ml butter

• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• mixed salad, to serve

METHOD

Heat a little olive oil and saute the bacon for a few minutes. Remove from the pan, but leave the fat in the pan.

Brown the chicken pieces, a few at a time. Place the cooked pieces into a large roasting tin.

Add the leeks to the saucepan and saute for a minute, then add the garlic. Saute for a further minute or two until the leeks are soft. Add the chicken stock, tomato puree, and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and pour over the chicken pieces. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven.

Mix the flour and lemon juice into the cream and then add a large spoonful of the tomato sauce from the pan to the cream.

Stir well, then stir into the tomato mixture in the saucepan. Add the rosa tomatoes and half the basil leaves. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with the remaining basil.

Serve with polenta and salad on the side. Polenta Heat the prepared stock until it begins to simmer. Whisk in the polenta and then cook, stirring until the mixture begins to simmer.

Reduce the heat and cook, simmering gently until the polenta is tender. Stir in the rosemary, butter, and Parmesan cheese to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. — FOOD24

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