Serves 4 | Prep: 15 minutes | Cooking: 40–45 minutes
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
500g baby potatoes, halved
2 large leeks, washed and sliced into thick rounds
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
150ml dry white wine
200ml chicken stock
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs for roasting
2 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tsp honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A small handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
To serve
Warm, crusty bread
A simple green salad
Extra thyme or parsley for finishing
Method
1. Start with the vegetables
Preheat your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6.
Place the halved baby potatoes, carrots, leeks and crushed garlic into a large roasting dish. Drizzle with the olive oil and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the thyme and toss everything together.
Roast for 20 minutes, giving the vegetables a good stir halfway through.
2. Prepare the chicken
While the vegetables are cooking, place the chicken breasts between two pieces of baking paper and gently flatten the thicker parts with a rolling pin or the base of a small saucepan. You don't want them completely thin — just an even thickness so they cook evenly.
Season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Make the sauce
In a jug, whisk together the white wine, chicken stock, Dijon mustard and honey.
After the vegetables have had their first 20 minutes, remove the roasting dish from the oven and nestle the chicken breasts amongst the vegetables.
Pour the wine and stock mixture around the chicken and vegetables, being careful not to pour it directly over the top of the chicken.
Return to the oven for approximately 15–20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts.
The chicken should be cooked through, with no pink remaining in the centre. If you have a meat thermometer, the thickest part should reach 75°C.
4. Finish the sauce
Remove the chicken from the roasting dish and set it aside to rest for a few minutes.
Stir the crème fraîche into the warm juices and vegetables in the roasting dish. If the sauce seems a little thin, return the dish to the oven for another 5 minutes, or transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and simmer gently until it reaches the consistency you like.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Bring it to the table
Return the chicken to the roasting dish, spoon some of the creamy sauce over the top and scatter with fresh parsley and a few thyme leaves.
Bring the whole dish to the table with warm crusty bread for mopping up the sauce and a simple green salad alongside.
Light the candles, pour yourself a glass of wine and forget that it's Tuesday.
A little Mia Dolce Vita touch
Don't worry about making this look perfect. Serve it straight from the roasting dish in the middle of the table. Put the bread in a basket, pour the dressing over the salad just before serving and let everyone help themselves.
The beauty of this dinner is that it feels like an occasion without requiring one.
A note on the chicken
Chicken breasts vary considerably in size, so cooking time will depend on their thickness. Flattening the thicker parts slightly helps them cook more evenly and prevents the thinner ends from becoming dry while the centre cooks.