February cheer: Pulses and poultry, a Netherton recipe
A delicious chicken and chickpea dish, designed to make a little chicken go a long way, so you can use the very best you can afford. Without sounding too biblical about this, we fed 6 people with 2 chicken breasts and a couple of tins of chickpeas. This soupy stew would suit any kind of carbs, but we chose to mop up the sauce with some crusty bread.
You will need:
2 tblsp oil
300g chicken, cut into bite size chunks
2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained
400ml stock
200 g cavolo nero, stripped from its tough centre stem and chopped
1 tblsp grain mustard
150ml double cream
Grated zest of a lemon
Put the oil into a wide based pan and heat gently. Add the chicken pieces and cook until they take on a golden coating. Add the chickpeas, cavolo nero and stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Mix the cream, mustard and lemon zest and stir into the chicken pot. Scatter chopped parsley over for verdant vibrancy on a dull day!
Cook for a further 10 minutes and then serve with bread, potatoes, rice, pasta or whatever else you fancy.
