Motivating yourself to cook when you’re by yourself is difficult at the best of times. Hopefully this will help in some way and give you a little pleasure. It can also be scaled up to feed bigger numbers.
This chicken is a one-pot dish. What lifts it out of the ordinary is the sauce. Blessed with smoked paprika and parmesan, it will make even the most pedestrian chicken interesting. A little rice would be good with this to soak up the luxurious sauce.
Serves 1
olive oil a drizzle
red pepper 1, sliced
garlic 1 clove, sliced
cream 150ml
parmesan cheese 1 tbsp, grated
smoked paprika ½ tsp
chicken breast 1, skin on if possible
Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4.
Heat the oil in a small ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the red pepper and garlic and cook gently for 5 minutes or so to soften the pepper.
Whisk the cream, parmesan and smoked paprika together in a small bowl. Set the chicken on top of the peppers in the pan. Pour the creamy mixture over, then season.
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Don’t be afraid to cut into the chicken to check that it’s fully cooked. The sauce should be thick and bubbling and the chicken should be moist and tender. Serve immediately.
From Butter Boy by Paul Flynn (Nine Bean Rows, £35). To order a copy for £30.80 go to guardianbookshop.com
