Sunday Slow Braise & Torn Bread Bowl

Every spoonful tastes like being seven years old again.

A deeply comforting braised chicken thigh stew, scented with bay leaf, thyme, and a splash of sherry, served directly inside a hollowed, oven-toasted sourdough loaf that soaks up every drop of the glossy, golden broth. This dish captures the unhurried warmth of a grandmother's kitchen — the all-day aroma, the mismatched crockery, the bread that's always somehow on the counter, and the feeling that someone has been quietly loving you through a pot on the stove for hours.

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium carrots, cut into chunky coins
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 250g baby potatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 60ml dry sherry (or dry white wine)
• 700ml good-quality chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (for finishing)
• 1 large round sourdough loaf (per 2 servings, so 2 loaves for 4)
• 30g Parmesan, finely grated (for the bread bowl rim)

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels and season generously on both sides with salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
2. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken thighs skin-side down for 6–8 minutes without moving them, until the skin is deep golden and crispy. Flip and sear the other side for 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add the butter to the same pot. Once melted, add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–7 minutes until softened and lightly golden, scraping up any brown bits from the base.
4. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until the paste darkens slightly and smells fragrant.
5. Pour in the sherry and let it bubble and reduce for 1–2 minutes, deglazing the pan completely.
6. Add the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
7. Return the chicken thighs to the pot, nestling them skin-side up. Add the carrots and potatoes around the chicken. The liquid should come about two-thirds up the chicken — add a splash more stock if needed.
8. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer slowly for 1 hour 30 minutes, until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and the broth has thickened and turned glossy.
9. About 20 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Slice the tops off the sourdough loaves and hollow out the inside, leaving a 2–3cm thick wall and base. Brush the inside and rim generously with olive oil and sprinkle the rim with grated Parmesan.
10. Place the bread bowls (and their lids) on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 12–15 minutes, until the inside is golden and slightly crisp.
11. Fish out and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs from the stew. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the fresh parsley.
12. To serve, set each toasted bread bowl on a deep plate or board. Use tongs to place one or two chicken thighs inside each bowl — the meat will slide off the bone beautifully. Ladle the rich broth, carrots, celery, and potatoes generously over and around the chicken, letting it soak into the bread walls. Rest the toasted bread lid jauntily alongside. Serve immediately with extra torn bread for mopping.