Name: One Pot Chicken, Bacon and Peas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8 rashers streaky smoked bacon (roughly chopped); 6 skinless (boneless chicken thighs); 3 cloves garlic; 6 spring onions; 1 litre chicken stock; 2 bay leaves; 200 grams frozen peas; 2 little gem lettuces; 3 tablespoons creme fraiche; Large handful chopped parsley

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This creamy one pot chicken, bacon and peas is perfect with a doorstep of bread to mop up all those juices.

I love any dish you can eat with a fork and a spoon – it means it’s chunky and (often) nourishing, but has some sort of delicious stock or sauce to slurp up. This is particularly on a dark, chilly evening.

This dish is completely inspired by French flavours. The French have been cooking lettuce for donkey’s years, and it’s a bit strange we’ve only recently picked up on this over here. Cooked lettuce is beautifully sweet – the heat must eradicate any of the bitterness that raw lettuce can sometimes have.

Wonderfully, this is a one pot dish (as you may or may not have guessed from the title) and is ready in less than 30 minutes. Why not have yours with cheese on toast (think the croutons you’d make for a French onion soup) to make this go even further.

Love one pot dishes? Try One Pot Mexican Bean Stew, One Pot Sausage, Pepper and Pea Pasta, One Pot Chicken and Green Olive Tagine or One Pot Cheesy Pesto and Spinach Pasta.

The Ingredients

Smoked bacon rashers – smoky bacon gives this dish the most delicious savoury base. Don’t be tempted to switch for unsmoked.
Chicken thighs – thighs are best for this dish because they stay moist when cooked in the sauce. You could use chicken breast, but the meat will be tougher.
Garlic – the base of any good French dish! Use three large cloves, more if they’re small.
Spring onions – add to the lightness in this dish. You could switch for normal brown onion.
Chicken stock – or a litre of water and a chicken stock cube.
Bay leaves – for that wonderful fragrance. Fresh bay leaves are best.
Frozen peas – the little bursts of sweetness from frozen peas are absolutely divine.
Little gem lettuces – little gem cooks nicely in this dish. Try to use this if you can get it.
Creme fraiche – this dish is rich enough with the bacon not to need heavy cream. Creme fraiche works perfectly.
Parsley – a big handful of fresh parsley is the perfect finish.

Top Tips

Get ahead This is a perfect meal for freezing. Cool completely, then put in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost thoroughly and cook through before serving.
To serve You could eat this by itself, with bread or cheese on toast, or even with pasta, rice or mashed potato. It’s really versatile!