marinate chicken
Place the chicken thigh and marinade ingredients into a bowl, season to taste & mix to combine.
fry bacon
Place a large high rimmed pan over medium-high heat, add in olive oil & bacon & fry for 2 minutes to render out the fat (see notes). Add the roughly chopped thyme & cracked black pepper to taste, continue frying for 1 minute. Remove the bacon from the pan, place it onto a plate & set it aside for the time being.
sear chicken
Place the pan back over medium-high heat, add in 1 Tbsp (20ml) of olive oil, add in the marinated chicken thigh reserving the marinade & sear for 4 minutes on each side. Do this in batches to avoid steaming the chicken.
deglaze pan
Pour in the chicken stock to deglaze the pan & cook for 1 minute, mixing it regularly. Add in the remaining marinade & simmer for 2 minutes mixing around regularly.
cream sauce
Add in the thickened cream, check for seasoning, adjust if necessary, mix well & bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low & simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced & thickened. During this time, flip the chicken every minute.
season sauce
Add the fried bacon into the sauce either adding it all or saving a little bit to use as a garnish, add in the roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, mix well to combine, check for seasoning & remove from the stovetop.
serve
Serve the chicken on a plate or in a bowl alongside rice, pasta, salad or even bread, garnish with the remaining crispy bacon & flat-leaf parsley. Dig in.
