A braised main-course dish warm from the stove is not only delicious, nutritious and cost effective, it is true comfort food.

You can see this meal created step-by-step in this video.

Ingredients

• 20ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 800gm Chicken Thigh Fillet – remove any excess fat & sinew, then cut into a 4cm dice.
• 20ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 150gm Brown Onion – peel, halve & finely dice.
• 1 Garlic Clove – peel & finely chop.
• 80gm Button Mushrooms – rinse, drain & cut into quarters.
• 16 Rosemary Leaves – rinse, drain & finely chop.
• 20 Thyme Leaves – rinse, drain & finely chop.
• 25gm Plain Flour
• 400ml Chicken Stock
• 400gm Crushed Tomato
• 40ml Balsamic Vinegar
• 5gm Caster Sugar
• To Taste – Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper
• 1kg Seasonal Pumpkin – peel, deseed & cut into a 2cm dice.
• As Required – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray
• 40ml Full Cream Milk – warm to room temperature.
• 40gm Unsalted Butter – warm to room temperature.
• 1 tsp Hot English Mustard
• To Taste – Ground Nutmeg
• To Taste – Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper
• 20 Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves – rinse, drain & finely chop

Method

1. Pre-heat an oven to a moderate temperature – 160°C.
2. Place a saucepan over a moderate heat and add the first batch of olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken thigh fillet pieces and saute until they are well browned on all sides, then remove the chicken from the saucepan and set to one side.
3. Over a moderate heat in the same saucepan, add the second batch of olive oil and heat. Add the onion, and saute stirring regularly until the onion has softened. Then add the garlic, button mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and continue to saute for a further minute, or until the mushrooms are lightly browned.
4. Add the plain flour and using a wooden spoon gently combine with the other ingredients.
5. Add the chicken stock, crushed tomato and balsamic vinegar and bring up to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to gently simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and continue to gently simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Stir in the caster sugar, and season to taste.
6. Whilst the chicken is braising, place the pumpkin in a mixing bowl, spray with oil and mix until the pumpkin is thoroughly coated. Place the pumpkin onto a roasting tray, place into the oven and roast for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Remove from the oven, and carefully place it into a mixing bowl and mash. Once mashed, add and thoroughly combine the milk, butter, hot English mustard and nutmeg.
7. Season the pumpkin mash to taste, then fold through the parsley.

To serve

Place a portion of the roasted pumpkin and parsley mash onto the centre of each serving plate, and then top with a portion of the Italian style braised chicken.