** This post has been paid for by Leopard’s Leap Family Vineyards **

Once in a while a recipe crosses your path that immediately becomes part of your cooking “repertoire” and this Red Wine Braised Chicken with Pancetta and Chickpeas is one of those. Not only is it comfort food at its best, it’s really easy to make and you can be out of the kitchen in less than 45 minutes.

It comes from a recipe I saw on Epicurious ages ago. I have made it numerous times since then and love the dish so much that I had to share it on here. The chicken pieces are coated with cumin, smoked paprika and salt, then fried in the fat of the fried pancetta until the skin is crispy. Add some red wine (in this case the Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Pinot Noir 2015), chicken stock and chopped onions, then braise the chicken until tender and cooked. Add the chickpeas, pancetta, a handful of parsley and simmer until the chickpeas are heated through. The pancetta and Culinaria Pinot Noir 2015 add so much flavour to the dish it tastes like it has was cooked for hours.

I chose the Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Pinot Noir 2015 as the red wine for the dish as the darker fruit nuances and undertones of tobacco work so well with the pancetta and spices. As this Pinot Noir has fantastic versatility for food and wine pairings, it was a given to also serve it with the red wine braised chicken and I do think it is a great pairing.

The added beauty of this red wine braised chicken dishis that the flavours improve the longer it stands, making it a great dish to make a day in advance. Midweek dinner or midweek dinner party sorted!

You can replace the pancetta with bacon but use the best quality you can afford. I served the dish with some charred broccoli, meaty mushrooms and a roasted head of cauliflower. Have a crusty loaf of bread on standby to mop up the delicious sauce. Enjoy!

Red Wine Braised Chicken with Pancetta and Chickpeas

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Ingredients

1½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
8 bone in skin on chicken thighs or 4 thighs & 4 drumsticks
vegetable oil for frying
150 g pancetta cubed or 250g smoked bacon, diced
1 tin chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 small red onion thinly sliced
½ cup Leopard’s Leap Culinaria Pinot Noir 2015
½ cup chicken stock
a handful roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley divided

Instructions

Mix paprika, cumin and salt in a large sandwich bag
Place the chicken pieces in the bag, seal, and shake around until the chicken is coated all over with the spice mix.
Heat a bit of oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and fry the pancetta, stirring frequently for about 7 minutes until crispy
Use a slotted spoon and add the crispy pancetta to the chickpeas
Drain all but about 2 tablespoons fat from the pan and return to a medium high heat
Cook chicken, skin side down, until well-browned for about 10 - 15 minutes and transfer to a plate skin side up
Add the onion to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft
Add the wine and stock and bring to a boil.
Use a wooden spoon to loosen all the stuck bits on the bottom of the pan and place the chicken back in the pan, skin side up
Lower heat to medium, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes or so)
Add the pancetta and chickpeas to the pan and gently stir in with the chicken
Cook, uncovered for a few minutes until heated through and stir in half of the chopped parsley
Serve sprinkled with the remaining parsley

I am thrilled that the Recipe Index has been given a visual makeover. Instead of just a recipe listing, every recipe now shows the image of the dish, making it much easier to search and find a recipe to prepare. I hope you like it as much as I do.

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A few more of my favourite chicken recipes :

Sumac and Lemon Roast Chicken