Chicken Stew

Okay, the chicken stew of Happiness!

You will need the following

1 bag potatoes (Maris Piper by preference)

2 large leeks

2 large chicken breasts

1 small bag of carrots

1 tin of garden peas

Bacon Lardons

Butter

Olive oil

Swiss Bouillion

Stock cube

Fresh Herbs

Corn Flour

First you're going to peel and dice your spuds and carrots and get them on the heat in separate pots of salted water.

Boil a kettle of water

You're doing this because this way, once they're added to your stock, they much more fully absorb the flavours of the stew while retaining their own distinct flavours.

While they cook pan sear your chicken breasts in a little butter and olive oil (about a tea spoon of each) over a low to medium heat.

Once they're about three quarters cooked take them off the heat and leave to cool.

Cook off your bacon Lardons with just a touch of black pepper in the already hot pan.

Once the Lardons are cooked they can go into your stew pot.

Using a pair of forks shred your chicken breast into fibers.

Add a table spoon of butter to the bacon pan to start deglazing the pan and then add your shredded chicken (the chicken will soak up all that lovely bacon fat).

as your chicken finished cooking add shredded fresh Basil, Oregano and, ig you can find it, Lemon Thyme and a good sprinkle of cracked black.

Once the chicken is nice and firm and starting to take just a little colour it's ready to go on top of the bacon.

Into that SAME pan (look at all of the washing up I'm saving you!) put your sliced leaks, some MORE butter and just a tiny sprinkle of Saffron (fifteen maybe 20 strands) and slowly cook the leeks over a low heat till they are soft and translucent.

You know the drill by now, in to the pot!

By now the carrots should be cooked and the potatoes starting to crack slightly so strain them off and put them, and the peas, in to the pot.

Put this all over a low heat and pour the boiling water from your kettle over all this tasty goodness till you have a good stew like balance.

Add a table spoon of Bouillion and your stock cube.

Bring to the boil and then turn it back to a low heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Add a large table spoon of corn starch to a glass and half fill the glass with COLD water. Once the corn flour is fully dissolved (stir it with a fork) add the mix to your stew.

Cover for a further ten minutes and simmer.

Now, Taste your stew and only NOW will you add the final salt and black pepper to finish off the flavours. You should find that the corn flour and the potatoes have absorbed most of the fats but if there are any left floating on top you can choose to skim them off.

Take it off the heat and let it sit for about five minutes and serve.

bon appetit