French-Style Chicken with Peas & Bacon

I took this recipe from the BBC Good Food site French Style Chicken at BBCGoodFood.Com

I'd never cooked Little Gem before and it was a revelation! It stayed nice and crunchy and added a nice green texture to the dish.  I served it with plain boiled rice which absorbed all the lovely juices.

French-Style Chicken with Peas and Bacon

Serves 4

6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 bunch spring onions, roughly chopped

300ml hot chicken stock

250g frozen peas

1 Little Gem lettuce , roughly shredded

2 tbsp crème fraîche

In a large frying pan, dry-fry the bacon over a medium heat for 3 mins until the fat is released and the bacon is golden. Transfer the bacon to a small bowl, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the chicken and brown for 4 mins each side.

Push the chicken to one side of the pan and tip in the garlic and spring onions, cooking for about 30 secs, just until the spring onion stalks are bright green. Pour in the chicken stock, return the bacon to the pan, cover and simmer for 15 mins.

Increase heat under the pan. Tip the peas and lettuce into the sauce and cook for 4 mins, covered, until the peas are tender and the lettuce has just wilted. Check chicken is cooked through. Stir in the crème fraîche just before serving.