Romanian chicken in creamy mushroom sauce (Ciulama de pui)

1. Bone the chicken thighs, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and simmer in salted water for 20 minutes, then set aside 300 ml of the cooking liquid.

2. In a pan, soften the finely chopped onion in the butter for 5 minutes, add the sliced mushrooms and fry until their liquid has evaporated and they are lightly browned.

3. Sprinkle over the flour, stir for 1-2 minutes, then gradually pour in the milk and the reserved chicken stock, stirring constantly, to make a smooth, lump-free sauce.

4. Add the chicken and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes until the sauce is creamy; finally stir in the cream, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh chopped dill.

5. Meanwhile bring 1.2 litres of salted water to the boil, pour in the polenta in a thin stream, stirring constantly, and cook over low heat for 20 minutes into a thick mămăligă.

6. Serve the ciulama hot with plenty of mămăligă – in Romania it is a favourite Sunday lunch that children love too.

Tip: The name 'ciulama' comes from the Turkish 'çulama', and in Moldavian cooking it's often made with wild mushrooms – if you have porcini or chanterelles, mix them in with the button mushrooms.