Nicky Clarke's Mediterranean-style chicken stew

Nicky loves hosting dinner parties but he says he likes to do things his way! He loves to make an effort with the presentation and surroundings, as he has a great space for entertaining. He rarely makes a starter, preferring to give his guests nibbles and champagne. For the main course, his ideal is to make up a big dish and serve it so everyone can help themselves. This recipe in particular is one of his favourites. He says you can prepare it the night before and simply reheat on the day to give yourself lots of time with your guests.

Nicky loves simple, great quality ingredients cooked well, but he’s not adverse to a little helping hand in the kitchen – he thinks there are some really amazing quality ready-made sauces these days that can save you a heap of time in the kitchen. This recipe shows you how.

Because of his Greek heritage, Nicky likes to use lots of fresh herbs, tomatoes and feta in his cooking.

Mediterranean-Style Chicken Stew

Serves 4

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• Oil for frying
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 chicken breasts
• Selection of Mediterranean herbs (thyme, flat leaf parsley, basil)
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 jar of ready-made tomato sauce
• 1 tin of butterbeans, rinsed and drained
• 200g selection of garden vegetables, eg: courgettes and green beans

For the salad:

• A handful of pinenuts
• ½ cucumber
• 1 green pepper
• 1 bag of mixed salad leaves
• 100g feta cheese
• Greek olive oil
• A dash of white wine vinegar

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1.    Heat a wide bottomed pan with a little oil and gently fry the garlic and onion for a few minutes. Slice the chicken breasts into halves, or into three so they remain in large pieces, and add to the pan.  Fry for a few minutes, sealing all over.
2.    Add any or all of the suggested herbs (whatever you have to hand) to the pan and fry for another minute.
3.    Add the tomatoes and jar of tomato sauce and stir well. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the dish. Towards the end of cooking, add the butterbeans and any garden veg you might like to use.  Cook for another few minutes until all the vegetables are cooked through.
4.    For the salad, toast the pinenuts, and slice up the cucumber and pepper.
5.    Toss with the leaves and crumble in the feta cheese, dress with a simple vinaigrette.
6.    Serve the stew in a big bowl alongside the salad.

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