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1
Preheat the oven to 400F
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2
Put the chicken breasts into a sealable plastic bag and add in the brandy and crushed garlic.
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3
Seal the top of the bag and massage the flavours into the chicken for a minute.
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4
Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
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5
Fry the bacon in a large, dry frying pan over high heat until crisp.
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6
Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and set to one side.
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7
Add the onion to any bacon fat in the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes over high heat, stirring often.
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8
Reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook the onion for about 20 minutes until soft.
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9
Remove the lid, turn up the heat and add in the mushrooms.
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10
Fry for 2-3 minutes, adding in the sunflower oil and butter.
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11
Reduce the heat, stir in the flour and slowly blend in the red wine and stock, stirring all the time.
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12
Bring to the boil, then stir in the tomato paste, soy sauce, redcurrant jelly, salt and freshly ground pepper and thyme.
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13
Boil the sauce for 3-4 minutes then set to one side until ready to cook the chicken breasts.
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14
Arrange the marinated chicken in a single layer in an ovenproof dish.
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15
Pour the sauce over the chicken, cover with foil and cook in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until chicken is tender.
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16
The timing depends on the size of the chicken breasts and temperature of the sauce.
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17
Alongside the chicken, reheat the bacon in an uncovered roasting tray in the oven 10 minutes.
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18
Sprinkle the bacon and parsley over the chicken to serve.