Perfectly Cooked Chicken Breast and Spicy Peas

Another Day in Paradise

A chicken breast cooked really well is one of the my favourite things in the world. A badly cooked on is one of the worst. I think this process, which follows similar steps to cooking a nice steak is the best. Crispy golden skin, tender meat, bathed in aromatic foaming butter and its own drippings. I have some version of this at least once a week, and I have to admit I prefer it to a chicken thigh these days. I know that will cause an emotional reaction from the haters, but that’s just where I’m at in my little life.

These peas are inspired by a recipe I recently learned from Chef Adam Byatt (check out his recipe for French-style peas & stuffed chicken leg). They’re flavoured with the chicken’s basting butter and fond, chorizo and fresh fruity spice from red chillies that I de-seed to focus on the flavour and not the heat. Finished with fresh lemon, crème fraîche and a good handful of chives. It’s a meal you can come back to over and over, making little changes here and there to suit your mood.