Madhouse recipe : Good Old-Fashioned Country Chicken

Now, before I go any further, let me start by saying that this dish tastes a lot better than it looks ! I spotted it on the Granny Fabulosa blog and it is apparently over 150 years old - this really appealed to me because I love getting back to basics and trying the good old-fashioned rustic dishes that existed long before e-numbers and complicated foodie trends. I think it could be improved with the addition of some spices or maybe a dash of BBQ sauce in the gravy  but it's a simple, honest, family-friendly dish.

Good Old-Fashioned Country Chicken

ingredients :

6 chicken thighs

1 cup of cracker crumbs

2 eggs

1/4 cup of milk

salt and pepper

6 rashers of bacon

some small knobs of butter

a pint of milk

Crush some savoury crackers or biscuits - I used up a pack of Finn Crisp but anything would do, even breadcrumbs. Put them in a dish and in a second dish, whisk up the two eggs with 1/4 cup of milk. (Just add a generous splash, you don't need to be precise.)

Dip each chicken thigh in the egg/milk then the cracker crumbs and place them in a casserole dish or roasting tin. Grind some salt and pepper over the top.

Place a raw bacon rasher on each chicken thigh and dot with small pieces of butter.

Scatter the remaining cracker crumbs in the gaps between the chicken thighs then pour in enough milk to come 2/3 of the way up the chicken.

Bake at 220° for an hour to an hour and a half until the chicken is cooked through and almost falling off the bone, the bacon is crispy and the sauce has gone thick and golden.

Serve the chicken and bacon then put the roasting tin on the hob and add a good glug of milk. Heat through, whisking, until the sauce is thick and creamy. Season with more salt and pepper - I'd add extra spices or a glug of BBQ sauce at this stage next time.

Serve with broccoli and rissoled potatoes, rice or mash. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and veg.

Adding to this month's #KitchenClearout linky because it used up a pack of crackers that had been feeling unloved !