- 2 x 575g chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 12g dried porcini mushrooms
- 400g souping mushrooms
- A handful of rosemary, leaves only
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 x 400g tins of butter beans
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200-400ml hot water
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1.
Warm a large frying pan (or casserole dish if you’re cooking on the hob) on a medium heat for 1 min. When warm, drizzle in 1 tbsp olive oil and add the chicken thighs, skin-side down. Fry for 8 mins till golden, turning over halfway through and then lift into a bowl. Add the drumsticks and fry for 6-8 mins till golden. Lift into the bowl.
- 2.
While the chicken browns, Fill your kettle and boil it. Pop the dried porcini mushrooms into a small, heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 5 mins to soak, then drain and rinse well under a cold tap. Crumble the stock cube into a jug. Add the porcini, pour over 200ml boiling water, stir well and set aside to infuse.
- 3.
Peel and finely slice the onions. Peel and grate the garlic cloves. Thickly slice the souping mushrooms, leaving any smaller ones whole. Finely chop the rosemary leaves. Drain and rinse the butter beans. From this point, follow the instructions for the slow cooker or hob method.
- 4.
Slow cooker^ Keep the pan you cooked the chicken in on the heat and add the onions. Fry, stirring now and then, for 4 mins to slightly soften them.
- 5.
Add the garlic and chopped mushrooms to the onions and fry for 4 min till they are soft and juicy.
- 6.
Tip the mushroom mix in to the slow cooker along with the chicken. Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes and the porcini mushrooms along with their soaking liquid. Add the chopped rosemary with plenty of salt and pepper. If there’s room in the slow cooker, add the drained butter beans. If the cooker is too full, leave them out for now. Gently stir everything together then pop the lid on the slow cooker.
- 7.
Set the slow cooker to medium and cook for 6-7 hrs. For a faster stew, set the slow cooker to high and cook for 5-6 hrs, or set to low and cook for 8-10 hrs.
- 8.
If you haven’t added the butter beans to the slow cooker, gently warm them in a pan (or in the microwave) with a splash of water and some salt and pepper for 5 mins.
- 9.
Taste the stew and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Serve with the butter beans folded through, if they aren’t already in the stew.
- 10.
On the hob^ Add the onions to the pan your cooked the chicken in and cook gently, stirring often, for 6 mins till softened and lightly coloured.
- 11.
Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pan and fry for 4 mins, stirring, till softened and juicy.
- 12.
Add the chicken back to the pan. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and the porcini mushrooms along with their soaking liquid plus an extra 200ml water. Add the chopped rosemary with plenty of salt and pepper. Gently stir everything together then pop the lid on. Bring to a bubble then simmer for 1 hr, stirring every now and then and adding more water if you need to.
- 13.
When the stew has cooked for 1 hr, add the drained and rinsed beans and stir. Cook for a further 30 mins. Taste the stew and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it.
