Poached chicken breast in a summer vegetable & butter bean broth

Name: Poached chicken breast in a summer vegetable & butter bean broth
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 2 Essential British Chicken Breast Fillets (about 300g); 500 ml chicken stock; 3 sprig/s tarragon, 2 whole, 1 picked and leaves finely chopped; 100 g mangetout, cut into 1-2cm pieces; 100 g baby topped carrots, trimmed and cut into 1-2cm rounds; 100 g speciality radishes, round variety cut into quarters, long in half; 250 g butter beans from a 400g can or 370g jar, drained; 2 tbsp crème fraîche, to serve

This is vibrant, aromatic and simple recipe from Ed Smith. If you have homemade chicken stock to hand, brilliant. If not, pouches make a faff-free substitute – stock from a cube or pot will be a little too thin and salty for this. If you have other fresh soft herbs to hand, add those too. The more the merrier!

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HealthyHigh protein2 of your 5 a day

Serves2
CourseLunch
Prepare15 mins
Cook30 mins
Total time45 mins

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2 Essential British Chicken Breast Fillets (about 300g)
500ml chicken stock
3 sprig/s tarragon, 2 whole, 1 picked and leaves finely chopped
100g mangetout, cut into 1-2cm pieces
100g baby topped carrots, trimmed and cut into 1-2cm rounds
100g speciality radishes, round variety cut into quarters, long in half
250g butter beans from a 400g can or 370g jar, drained
2 tbsp crème fraîche, to serve

Put the chicken breasts into a small saucepan in which they fit in one snug layer. Pour cold chicken stock over the top, add the whole tarragon sprigs, then set over a low-medium heat. Leave to warm until there’s movement in the pan and some steam coming, but only on the cusp of a very gentle simmer. Definitely not boiling (around 80-85ºC if you have a digital thermometer).
Put a lid on the saucepan and simmer very gently for 14 minutes, checking occasionally that the stock is not bubbling and to turn the breasts over if not fully submerged.
The chicken is cooked when it feels springy with no pink meat and juices that run clear, rather than soft (uncooked) or rock solid (overcooked). Remove from the stock, rest for 6 minutes, then cut each breast into 3-4 thick slices. Using your fingers or a fork, pull apart along the fibres. Season with sea salt flakes.
Meanwhile, increase the heat so the stock simmers. Remove the tarragon sprigs, add the vegetables and butter beans, then cook for 3 minutes to soften the vegetables a touch. Stir in the chopped tarragon and chicken pieces. Divide between 2 shallow bowls, add a dollop of crème fraîche to each and serve.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe