Sautéed chicken breasts with garlic spinach

extra-virgin olive oil
500g spinach, washed and dried
4 free-range chicken breasts, skin on*
approx. 1.5 litres chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt, black pepper
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1-2 teaspoons finely sliced medium-hot red chilli
lemon wedges to serve

The sautéed chicken breasts are a ‘basic’, like a whole roast chicken, that can be served with many different accompaniments

In short	Preparation time: 15 mins Cooking time: 30 mins Total time: 45 mins Serves: 4 people Course: Main

Method

1 You will need to fry the spinach in batches. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan, add a pile of leaves and cook tossing until they wilt, then remove them to a bowl and proceed with the remainder.

2 Lay the chicken breasts skin-down on a board, flatten them with your hands, and cut out any visible white tendons that will be tough on eating.

3 Bring the stock to the boil in a medium-large saucepan and season with salt. Turn the heat down as low as possible. Immerse the chicken breasts in the stock and cook for 15 minutes, without boiling. Transfer them to a plate and pat dry with kitchen paper. The stock can be used
again; first pour it through a fine sieve, discarding any sediment in the base.

4 Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, season the chicken breasts well and fry for several minutes each side until golden. You may need to do this in batches, or use two frying pans.

5 Just before the chicken is ready, heat a tablespoon of oil in another frying pan over a medium heat, add the garlic and chilli and cook briefly until fragrant and lightly coloured, then stir in the spinach, season with salt and heat through. Serve the chicken and spinach accompanied by lemon wedges.

*It is well worth going to an independent butcher to select a really good chicken and asking him to fillet the breasts and give you the rest of the cuts, including the carcass. The latter can be roasted for 20-30 minutes in a hot oven and turned into stock, which can then be used in the recipe. It will probably cost about the same as buying the breast meat on its own, plus you have another meal in waiting.