Pan-Fried Chicken with Bacon, Peas and Lettuce
Crispy skin-on chicken breasts cooked gently then rested, topped with a quick pan sauce of smoked bacon, spring onions, garlic, peas and little gem lettuce simmered in hot chicken stock and finished with butter. A complete one-pan meal ready in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 4 free-range chicken supremes or large chicken breasts, with skin onchicken thighsequal weightpoultry
thighs have more fat and stay moister
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 medium-thick smoked back bacon slicespancettaequal weightcured pork
Italian smoked cured pork
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 bunch green onions
- 2 little gem lettuces
- 14 tbsp chicken stock, hot
- 13 oz shelled peas
- butter, generous knob
Instructions
- 1
Season the chicken.
- 2
Set a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and fry the chicken skin-side down for 2 minutes or until the skin begins to colour, then turn over and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- 3
Fry gently for 6 minutes, then turn over again and continue to cook for 4 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
- 4
Remove chicken and keep warm in a covered bowl.
- 5
While the chicken is cooking, remove the fat from the bacon and slice into lardons.
- 6
Finely chop the garlic and slice the green onions into pea-size chunks.
- 7
Trim and roughly slice the lettuces.
- 8
Once the chicken is cooked, add the bacon to the pan.
- 9
Fry briskly for 2 minutes or until it begins to colour, then reduce the heat and mix in the garlic and green onions.
- 10
Fry for a few seconds, then stir in the stock.
- 11
Bring up to a full boil, scraping the pan as you do so.
- 12
Allow the stock to bubble and reduce slightly, then mix in the peas and lettuce.
- 13
Return to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the peas are tender.
- 14
Stir the butter into the peas and remove from the heat.
- 15
Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve immediately with the chicken.
Tips
Start chicken skin-side down on medium-high heat to render fat and crisp the skin before lowering heat for gentle cooking through.
Prepare all ingredients while chicken cooks to move quickly once the pan is free.
Scrape the pan as the stock comes to boil to incorporate flavorful browned bits.
Good to Know
Refrigerate covered up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a pan over low heat with a splash of stock.
Prepare ingredients up to 4 hours ahead. Cook the chicken completely, cool and refrigerate. Warm chicken gently in the pan before adding bacon and finishing the sauce.
Serve immediately while hot, with the chicken on top of the braised vegetables and sauce.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the initial skin-side-down sear to avoid pale, flabby skin.
Do not rush the gentle cooking phase to avoid dry, stringy meat.
Do not add peas and lettuce before the stock reduces slightly to avoid mushy overcooked vegetables.
Do not simmer uncovered longer than 5 minutes to avoid tough peas and wilted lettuce.