SUMMER! I love this dish. It’s tasty, enticing and comforting all at once. The lettuce, peas and garlic all came from my dad’s allotment and the chicken was a lovely, long-hung free-range bird, that I’d jointed previously. I actually think rabbit would work really, really well in this dish too – I’ll have to try that soon. As in the picture, simply boiled new potatoes are a perfect accompaniment.
Serves 2
2 free-range chicken breasts on the bone, with skin on and wing bone still attached; 2 gem or cos lettuce hearts; 6 cloves newly dug garlic, peeled and sliced thickly long ways; 2 handfuls fresh garden peas; 1 pint chicken stock; 1tbsp cider vinegar; 1 tsp each of ground fennel, coriander, allspice and grains of paradise (that one’s optional but replace with more allspice or black pepper); salt; olive oil
Preparation
Get some olive oil warming in an oven proof pan over a medium heat.
Set the oven to 200˚C
Rub about the half the spices all over the chicken skin and place the breast, skin side down, into the pan. Cook until the skin is golden all over. Turn over the chicken breasts, sprinkle over the remaining spices and place in the oven to roast for about 20 minutes until cooked through.
When the chicken is cooked remove from the pan and set somewhere warm to rest. Set the pan back on the heat and deglaze with the cider vinegar and chicken stock. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer. Add in the garlic and cook until just tender. Then add the peas and simmer for about 30 seconds, then finally the lettuce until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat. Place the vegetables onto warmed plate, spoon over some of the stock, then place the chicken breast on top.
What Matt Ate 