Chicken Madeira with Creamy Polenta

Preheat the oven to 200C and boil water to make the chicken stock.

In a bowl, mix together 1/3 of the balsamic vinegar, 1/3 of the brown sugar, 1/2 of the oil. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and leave to marinade in the fridge.

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and lightly salt.

Thickly slice the mushrooms and roughly chop the onion.

Pour the polenta into the boiling water while whisking gently in a steady stream.

Continue to whisk until the polenta is thickened; turn down the heat and continue to whisk until it has thickened enough that it doesn't settle back on the bottom of the pan when you stop stirring.

Cover, and leave over a very low heat to cook. Stir vigorously every 5-10 minutes, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan.

Heat the half the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

Take the marinaded chicken out of the fidge and place in the frying pan skin side down.

Cook the chicken until the skin is crisp and slightly caramelised on the outside.

Remove the chicken from the pan, place the chicken on a baking tray and place into the oven until cooked.

Wipe down the pan with a paper towel and then return to the heat.

Add the butter and heat until melted.

Add the onion and cook until transparent.

Add the mushrooms and saute until slightly golden.

In a bowl, mix together the remaining balsamic vinegar, sugar and stock.

Add to the mushroom and onion mixture.

Cook the mushroom sauce until thickened and the liquid has reduced in volume.

In another frying pan heat the remaining olive oil and add the asparagus; saute until crisp and the skin blisters slightly.

Distribute the polenta among serving plates.

Remove the chicken from the oven and place atop the polenta.

Remove the asparagus from the heat and serve alongside the chicken madeira.

Serve the mushroom sauce atop the chicken thighs.

Finely grate the parmesan over the chicken madeira.