1. Pre heat the oven to 180°c/350F

2. Firstly make the fondant potatoes, begin by peeling and cutting the potatoes into even-sized barrel shapes, approximately 4cm in length, 2.5cm in width.

3. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over a low heat, add the potatoes and cook slowly, shaking the pan and stirring regularly until they are golden brown all over. This will take 15-20 minutes.

4. Add 200ml of the stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add the remaining stock and thyme and cook for 35-40 minutes until the stock has reduced and potatoes are tender.

5. Meanwhile, trim your chicken breasts, season well and then pan fry on a high heat on each side for a minute or so until golden brown, remove from the pan and place into a baking dish, cover with foil and continue to cook in the oven for 10 minutes, remove and leave to cool.

6. gently fry the diced pancetta in a heavy bottomed pan until crispy and then add the garlic, chopped thyme, sliced leeks and wine and continue to cook gently until the leeks are tender and the wine has reduced by half. Tip the mixture into a bowl and set to one side

7. In the same pan melt the butter and add in the flour, cook on a low heat for a minute then begin to slowly add chicken stock a bit add a time, stirring well in between additions to avoid lumps.

8. Add the cream and continue to stir the mixture until it starts to simmer, add the pancetta and leek mix

9. Cut the cooked chicken breast into generous sized chunks and stir into the sauce to heat through. Season well.

10. Serve the chicken immediately with the fondant potatoes and steamed sugar snap peas or snow peas.

Chef Tip
If you can’t get hold of pancetta, you can also use diced smoked bacon for the sauce
If you don’t want to wait for the fondant potatoes to cook, you could alternatively serve this dish with buttered new potatoes.