Food Swings: Chicken in Bacon Cream Sauce

By Jacob Mathias
Hello, fellow eaters. I’ve been very into comfort food lately. Food is the great healer and today’s dish is sure to heal any wounds your soul may have. Heavy cream and bacon are may not be healthy for the body, they are good for the soul.
This dish features a pan sauce, which basically means the sauce and all other ingredients are prepared in the same dish. This technique layers multiple flavors together and creates a complex taste profile that you can’t get from making the elements separately.
You need to prepare the individual ingredients prior to cooking.
Pan sauces tend to be heavy, so I always recommend a side of steamed vegetables or a salad to counteract the richness of the dish.
You will need:
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 strips chopped bacon
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 yellow onion sliced thin
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
Toss the chicken with lemon juice and 1 tbsp. garlic until well coated. Allow to set for 30 minutes.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium high heat until browned. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside but leave the rendered fat. Add the chicken to the pan and brown on both sides, cooking about 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and then add onions and garlic, cook, stirring occasionally until onions are tender.
Once the onions are cooked, add bacon, oregano and chicken stock to the pan. In a small bowl, mix the flour with the water until no lumps remain, making a slurry. Add the slurry to the pan and stir in. The sauce will thicken slightly. Add the chicken back to the pain.
Reduce heat to medium and cover, cooking for another 20 minutes.
Add in the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more stock if sauce is too thick for your preference. Serve alongside some vegetables and hunk of crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.
And remember, Live to Eat!