Spring Chicken

Name: Spring Chicken
Cuisine: European, British
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 140 grams pancetta cubes or lardons or chopped bacon; 12 chicken thighs (bone in, with or without skin); 1 leek (cleaned, quartered lengthwise then finely sliced); 1 stick celery (quartered lengthwise then finely sliced); 3 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped); 2 teaspoons dried tarragon; 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes or 1/2 teaspoon pouring salt; good grinding white pepper; 500 millilitres dry cider; 300 grams frozen petits pois; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 2 little gem lettuce (cut into strips or roughly shredded); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Instructions

This is really a tweaking of a fairly traditional rabbit recipe. The chicken is easier to come by in a supermarket, though, and more likely to please generally. You can leave the skin on or off the thighs, as you wish, but I think it’s important that the bone be left in. This is just my preference (I think it boosts flavour) but bear in mind that this is a pretty easy-going recipe, and you could use thigh fillets if that’s easier, or indeed — at the other end of the spectrum — a whole chicken, portioned.

Updated at: Fri, 21 Feb 2025 22:23:51 GMT