Hunter's Chicken with Fondant Potatoes

Hunter's Chicken with Fondant Potatoes

This meal is one of my go-to choices. It's not just the perfect mix of chicken, bacon & BBQ sauce, but fondant potatoes are my absolute fave. They're (in my opinion) the best way to cook and eat potatoes. Granted, they're a little bit of an effort when you could just have oven chips or even mashed potatoes, but the result is definitely worth the effort you put into them.

You can pair this meal with any veg that you fancy, but I love broccoli so I usually go for that.

If you're not a fan of BBQ sauce, you can easily get rid of it and just have the chicken, bacon & cheese. 

The photo isn't the best one I could have taken, but I was in a rush and I've never taken 'artsy' food photos before so I'm practicing! It still looks amazing though (you'd be wrong to disagree).

The recipe is pretty simple too, so you shouldn't have any trouble with making this. I've been told that fondant potatoes are a chef's favourite way of cooking potatoes so this is definitely something to try if you're hoping to impress someone!

Serves 4 - takes about 45-55 minutes

Ingredients:

Hunter’s Chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 8 rashers bacon (smoked or unsmoked)
• 100ml BBQ sauce
• 50g cheddar cheese (or however much you want if you like more)

Fondant Potatoes:

• 4/5 medium Maris Piper potatoes
• 170g butter, cubed
• 3 large garlic cloves, bashed
• 2 sprigs rosemary (can use dried, 2 tsp)
• 2 sprigs thyme (can use dried, 2 tsp)
• 170ml chicken or veg stock

Method:

1. Heat an oven to 200C / 180C fan. Oil a tray, place the chicken breasts on it and cover them with 2 rashers of bacon each
2. Peel the potatoes and slice the ends off them, and then into half so they’re smaller (roughly the size of a small satsuma) - go for about 4-5 pieces for each person 
3. Heat some oil in a deep and wide pan over a medium-low heat. Add the potatoes and fry for 5-7 minutes until golden brown (not burnt), then flip and cook for the same time on the other side. Once both sides are golden, add the butter to the pan to melt.
4. Scatter the garlic & herbs around the potatoes, and carefully pour the hot stock around the potatoes. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
5. Place the chicken breasts into the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
6. With 10-15 minutes left, start to cook any accompanying vegetables you want to have with the meal.
7. Once the chicken is cooked, cover the breasts with the BBQ sauce and scatter with the cheese. Return to the oven for 2 minutes until the cheese has melted.
8. Serve the chicken on a plate with the cooked fondant potatoes and any veg. Enjoy!