Brown the chicken pieces: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper, then season generously with salt. Place the pieces skin-side down in the pan — you should hear a confident sizzle. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the skin turns a deep golden brown and releases easily from the pan. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. The chicken should look glossy and caramelised, with a rich nutty aroma filling your kitchen. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Sweat the aromatics: Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Tip in the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes until they become translucent and soft, releasing a sweet, mellow fragrance. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds — take care not to let it burn, as burnt garlic turns bitter.

Cook the mushrooms and pearl onions: Add the mushrooms and pearl onions to the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to brown at the edges. The pearl onions should start to soften and take on a little colour. You’ll notice the pan smells earthy and savoury at this stage.

Make the roux: Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until the flour is fully incorporated and smells slightly toasty — like a freshly baked biscuit. The mixture will look like a thick paste clinging to the mushrooms and onions.

Build the sauce: Slowly pour in the chicken stock while stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. The liquid will seize up at first, then loosen into a smooth sauce as you keep stirring. Bring it to a gentle simmer — you should see small bubbles breaking the surface, not a rolling boil. Add the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, nestling them skin-side up into the sauce.

Simmer to perfection: Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and let it cook for 25 minutes. The sauce should barely tremble — a lazy, gentle simmer. The chicken will become tender enough to pull apart with a fork, and the sauce will thicken to coat the back of a spoon. After 25 minutes, remove the lid and stir in the double cream. Simmer uncovered for a further 5 minutes — the sauce will turn a beautiful pale ivory colour and smell incredibly rich.

Rest and serve: Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and white pepper — be generous, as the cream can mute flavours. Let the fricassee rest off the heat for 5 minutes. This rest allows the sauce to settle and the chicken to absorb the final flavours. Sprinkle with fresh parsley just before serving.