Chocolate Chicken Casserole Recipe

I am very excited about this being my first post and I hope it does not disappoint!

Every Tuesday one of my closest friends comes around in the evening and I cook her dinner. I always look forward to our date as I simply love cooking and every time she is very complimentary of the meal I place in front of her, which makes me enjoy cooking for her even more!! I must admit...a guilty pleasure of mine is receiving compliments about my cooking and I am really quite addicted to receiving them! 

Another guilty addiction of mine is dark chocolate, between 70-100% cocoa. I love it. Currently I am on a strict diet and cannot eat dairy, grains or sugar, so cooking a chocolate pudding is a near impossible task (although a challenge i will take up soon!). A family friend of mine gave me the idea of cooking a savoury dish with chocolate and, as I am also unable to eat red meat, I googled a recipe for chocolate chicken. Now this may sound like a very strange combination, but trust me, It works!

The recipe below is my very own simple chocolate chicken recipe and I believe you could have some of your own fun with it! (The next time I cook it, I am thinking of adding beetroot and Jerusalem artichokes.) Initially my friend sent me a worrying glance, but she fell in love with this meal at the first bite! I hope you enjoy it too. 

Serves 4: (with some left over!)

Ingredients:

4 x Chicken thighs/legs

Chicken stock or water

Coconut oil

1 1/2 oz x 100% cocoa (can get it from Waitrose)

1 x Bunch of Spring onions

3 x small turnips

3 x carrots
1 x medium parsnip
1/2 x butternut squash
Spinach
1 x avocado
1 x lime
Small bunch fresh parsley
1/2 inch finely chopped fresh ginger

1 bouquet garnet

1 star anise
3 cardamon pods
2 cinnamon sticks
2 smoked chipotle chillies (remove the seeds)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp dried mixed herbs


Instructions:
1. Brown the chicken in a suitable amount of coconut oil in a large casserole dish.

2. Once browned remove the chicken out of the pan.

3. In the juices of the chicken and oil add the green ends of the spring onion, star anise, cardamon pods, ginger, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns and chipotle chillies.

4. Once the onion has browned add all of the vegetables until browned, then add your chicken, chicken stock or water until the ingredients are covered.

5. Add your bouquet garnet, dried herbs and parsley (tied together with cooking string).

6. While that simmers, melt your chocolate bain marie style and then add to rest of ingredients and stir in well.

7. Slow cook in the simmering oven of the Aga for several hours (I did this in the morning and left it until 8 in the evening). For those who do not have an Aga, the simmering oven is kept at a constant 110ºC.

8. I served this dish with sliced avocado, wedges of lime and steamed spinach. (My father enjoyed his meal with a thick slice of fresh crusty bread too!)