Chicken Ragu with Crispy Polenta
My favourite ragu ever. Hands down.
Chicken Ragu with Crispy Polenta
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
Polenta
1 cup polenta
1 litre water
1 chicken stock cube
50g butter
Ragu
2 tbs olive oil
6 chicken thighs, bone in
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 rashers bacon, finely chopped
1 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs fresh oregano torn
1/2 cup dry white wine
750ml tomato passata
3 leaves chopped swiss chard
Follow the instructions on the polenta packet to prepare the polenta but use my ingredients (if you have a thermomix, use it, it makes the best polenta ever). Stir through the butter at the end and check seasoning. Pour the cooked polenta into a well greased rectangle dish about 10cm x 20cm and allow it to set and cool.
Preheat oven to 170C
To make the ragu, heat the oil in a large dutch oven/casserole dish. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper and brown both sides well. Remove from the casserole dish and set aside. Add the bacon into the residual chicken fat and sauté until crisp. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and oregano and sauté for 20 minutes on a gentle heat to build the flavour. Turn up the heat a little and add the tomato paste, cook off for 2 minutes then the wine and cook until evaporated. Add the chicken back into the pan with the tomato passata and the swiss chard. Bring to a boil on the stove. Transfer to the oven and bake for 2 hours until the chicken is meltingly tender. Season to taste.
Turn up the oven to 220C. Cut the polenta into rectangles and place on a foiled tray to crisp up for 15 -20 minutes and serve with the ragu.
