Creamy chicken, bacon and tomato bake

On a cold night, we devoured this simple baked chicken dish.

The flavours were wonderful, from the tender chicken pieces, the crispy bacon, and the herbie, creamy sauce.

I cut up a whole chicken, but this dish would work equally as well (and be a little bit less fussing about) if you used thigh cutlets or drumsticks.

I served this with some steamed potatoes and green beans, but you could also pair it with rice, cous cous or even some crusty bread.

Whatever you have it with, don't waste any of the sauce, as it is super tasty.

Don't be worried if the sauce has a slightly 'separated' look when you bring it from the oven. Once you serve the dish, the sauce ingredients will mix together and it will look and taste delicious.

What you'll need

Serves 4 to 6 people.

6 - 8 pieces of chicken of your choice, with the bone in (thigh or legs would work best)
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 leek, washed and finely chopped
10 cherry tomatoes
8 whole bacon rashers, rind removed
1 teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano and thyme
2 cups warm chicken stock
1/2 cup pouring cream

Salt and pepper

What to do

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

In a large ceramic baking dish, place the chicken pieces, spaced evenly apart. Then sprinkle the onion, garlic and leeks in the spaces between the chicken. Now 'drape' the bacon over the chicken and vegetables. This is to ensure that some of the bacon stays on top of the liquid and crisps during cooking. 

Combine the chicken stock, herbs and cream in a bowl. Season well, remembering that your chicken stock may be salted already. Mix and then pour over the chicken pieces. The liquid should not completely cover the chicken pieces, but leave about 1/4 of the meat exposed. Adjust your liquid as necessary.

Place in the oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the chicken has browned, the bacon pieces have crisped and the liquid has reduced to about one third of the original liquid. About 10 minutes before the cooking is completed, sprinkle the cherry tomatoes over the dish, then return it to the oven. The tomatoes will cook quickly, but will still hold colour and shape for serving.

Once cooked, remove the dish from the oven and serve to the table for everyone to help themselves. Make sure everyone gets lots of the herbie, garlicky, creamy sauce; it is delicious.