Chicken with Thyme, Leeks, and Bacon

This is a great everyday meal, but is also a fantastically easy dish for a dinner party. The combination of flavours is perfection, and it is easy and quick to cook and prepare.

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken breasts

2 medium sized leeks

250g piece of bacon/kaiserflaiche/speck

1 cup wine

1/2 cup chicken stock [if required]

70g butter

1 handful of fresh thyme

Salt

Pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190ºC.

Prepare the chicken fillets by pressing the thyme onto each side along with some salt and pepper. In a moderately hot open pan big enough to fir four breasts, heat a little oil and add the bacon lardons, cooking them until they just start to crisp. Turn the pan up to high and add the breast, browning one side for about 5 minutes. Turn, splash over the wine and put into the oven to cook for about 10 minutes.

Now chop the leeks into fine rounds, wash thoroughly and cook in a closed saucepan with the butter over a low heat, stirring occasionally until leeks are soft. Season with salt as needed. Keep warm with the lid on.

By now the chicken will be cooked and there should be a little reduced wine in the pan along with the bacon and other pan juices. If it looks a bit dry add a splash of chicken stock to deglaze and using the back of a spoon work into a sauce.

Serve the buttery leeks on the plate topped with the chicken and served with the sauce. Little baby boiled potatoes are an

excellent accompaniment to this dish. Enjoy!