I was looking forward to making this dish all week. I was a little nervous about it because of all the comments from NYT Cooking readers who complained of the sauce being too watery and the dish too salty. The recipe omits measurements in some key steps so I’m going to reproduce it below with my measurements and modifications. One note is that this is a fairly labor intensive recipe which produces only enough for one meal. You might want to consider doubling the recipe because the dish could have a great afterlife in a meat pie or over rice or just on its own!

Cut 6 slices of bacon in thin strips and brown over medium high heat until crispy.

Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and put in 2 lbs of bone-in chicken thighs, skin down. Brown over medium heat then turn and brown the other side, about 3-4 mins each side.

Remove the chicken and all but 3 Tbsp oil from the pan.

Add 2 cups chopped fennel and 1 chopped medium onion and cook until the vegetables soften and start to turn golden. Add 6 sprigs of fresh thyme and cook 1 more minute. Sprinkle in 1 Tbsp all purpose flower and stir well to integrate.

Pour in 1/2 cup white wine and simmer 2-3 minutes. Add the bacon and chicken back to the pan and pour in 1 cup of water. Partially cover and simmer about 45 minutes.

Remover the chicken to a plate to cool and take off the lid, allowing the sauce to reduce another 5 minutes. Meanwhile remover the skin and bones from the chicken and shred.

Add 1/3 cup half and half to the broth and reduce another 2 minutes. Add back the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 Tbsp butter, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, and 2 Tbsp chopped parsley.

Serve over pasta or rice. Enjoy!