French-style chicken ragout - Base recipe
8 serves
20 m
75 m
Introducing our 'French-style chicken ragout' recipe, a part of our heart-healthy Batch Cooking collection, designed to simplify your meal prep routine.
The recipes in this collection are carefully developed to help you enjoy a balanced meal plan while saving you time. Start with this base recipe and use it to make two meals - one to enjoy now and another to refrigerate or freeze for later.
Savour a hearty dinner tonight with our 'Chicken ragout with veggies', then effortlessly store away another portion for our 'Chicken ragout pasta'. It's the ideal choice for those busy evenings when cooking from scratch feels like an impossible task. Let our recipe collection inspire you to conquer weeknight dinners with ease, one deliciously convenient meal at a time.
Ingredients
- 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed of all fat, halved (1.2kg trimmed)
- ⅓ cup plain flour
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 500g pickling onions, peeled, halved
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 400g button mushrooms
- 500g baby carrots, trimmed
- 3 cups (750ml) reduced salt chicken stock
- ¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar (see tip)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Method
Step 1
Place chicken in a large snap-lock bag. Add flour. Season with pepper. Seal bag and shake to coat chicken.
Step 2
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, deep pot or flameproof casserole dish over medium to high heat. Add half the chicken pieces. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side, until golden. Remove. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and remaining chicken.
Step 3
Heat remaining oil in same pot over medium heat. Add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, until light golden. Add garlic and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, a further 1 minute.
Step 4
Return chicken to pot with mushrooms and carrots. Stir in stock, vinegar, thyme and ½ cup water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 35 minutes. Uncover. Simmer uncovered for a further 30 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Step 5
Transfer half the ragout to a large freezer-safe container (or divide into smaller containers) and set aside to cool for 1 hour. Label, date and seal, then refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Tips
- Small pickling onions are available from major supermarkets and greengrocers. They can be replaced with 500g coarsely chopped brown onions, if preferred.
- Use 4 leaf or aged balsamic vinegar for the best flavour.
- Try cooking up the ragout on the weekend when you have more time, then enjoy the second batch as a quick pasta meal through the week.
