© David Loftus
roasted chicken breast wrapped in pancetta with leeks and thyme
method
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put 1 chicken breast, skin removed this time, in a bowl. Trim and wash a large leek, remove the outer leaves, then slice it into 1⁄4 inch pieces. Add these to the bowl with the leaves of a few sprigs of fresh thyme, a good lug of olive oil, a small knob of butter, a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and a small swig of white wine and toss together. Place your leek and flavorings from the bowl into the pan, then wrap the chicken breast in 6 or 7 slices of pancetta. This will not only flavor the chicken but also protect it while it cooks. Try and bend the sides of the pan in towards the chicken so the leeks don’t get burned during cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, place a couple of whole thyme sprigs on top and cook in the middle of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes.