Chicken Ragu With Pappardelle - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 lbs bone-in chicken pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 None onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 oz pancetta, thinly sliced
4 oz mushrooms, thickly sliced
3/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
None None Several sprigs of fresh parsley (tie fresh herbs together if you like so they are easier to remove)
2 1/2 cups tomato puree
1/3 cup black olives
1 3/4 lbs fresh pappardelle pasta (or 1 1/4 lbs dried pasta)
1/3 cup shaved or grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Place seasoned flour in a plastic bag. Add chicken pieces one at a time, shaking well to lightly coat in flour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove from pan.
Add the onion, garlic and pancetta. Cook on medium-low heat for at least 10 mins until onions are soft and turning a caramel color.
Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften (use a little more oil if required). Add the wine, balsamic vinegar, and dried and fresh herbs; simmer for 2-3 mins. Add the tomato puree and olives and return the chicken to the pan.
Cover and simmer for 45-50 mins. Remove pan from heat. Using two forks, strip the chicken from the bones; discard bones and skin (do this with the chicken still in the pan so you don't lose lots of sauce moving it to a board). Remove and discard the stalks from the fresh herbs. Season the ragu with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in large saucepan of boiling salted water according to the package directions. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add some of the water to the ragu as needed to give a gloss to the sauce and loosen it if it has become too thick.
Serve ragu spooned over the pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese.