Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs

Cook diced bacon. Add to a cold, large skillet with deep sides and then heat over medium high heat. Let it cook completely and render the gorgeous liquid gold fat until it is crispy.

While bacon cooks, season chicken generously with salt and pepper and preheat oven to 375ºF. Then remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain most of the fat out. Preferably, drain it into a heat proof container and save it to cook with later! Get the pan back on the heat and add 4 of the chicken thighs with skin side down so that pan doesn’t get overcrowded. Brown them for 5 minutes or so, until they release easily and cook them for another 5 minutes on the other side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining 4 chicken thighs.

Put chicken thighs back into the pan and transfer pan to the oven to roast for 15 minutes in order to cook them through. To be extra safe, you can use a thermometer to make sure they get to an internal temperature of 160ºF in the very center. Once they are cooked, remove them again to a plate and set them aside. Put the pan back on the stove over medium high heat and add the mushrooms. Let them start to soften and brown for 3–4 minutes, then add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Let cook for just 30 seconds or so. While that cooks, season it all with the turmeric, paprika and saffron. Then pour in the coconut milk and add the bacon back to the pan, along with the rosemary sprigs.

Let the sauce simmer for about 3 minutes to let the flavors marry, stirring occasionally. It also will reduce and thicken a little. Finally, nestle the chicken back into the sauce and let it all cook together for another couple of minutes. Then just serve immediately with some kind of grain like brown rice or couscous and some leafy greens! Enjoy!