Chicken, bacon & Wensleydale gratin

Name: Chicken, bacon & Wensleydale gratin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1¼ kg pack frozen Essential British Chicken Thighs, defrosted; 2½ tbsp olive oil; 500 ml chicken stock, made with a stock pot or cubes; 4 slice/s Smoked British Streaky Bacon Rashers, roughly chopped; ½ Essential Savoy Cabbage, core removed, leaves shredded; 2 tbsp plain flour; 200 ml pot half fat crème fraîche; 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard; ½ Essential Lemon, scrubbed, zest; 25 g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped; 80 g fresh breadcrumbs; 200 g pack Wensleydale Creamery Yorkshire Wensleydale, crumbled

This creamy gratin has Savoy cabbage cooked into its flavourful sauce; all you need is some crusty bread on the side.

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Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare15 mins
Cook40 mins
Total time55 mins

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Ingredients

½ x 1¼kg pack frozen Essential British Chicken Thighs, defrosted
2½ tbsp olive oil
500ml chicken stock, made with a stock pot or cubes
4 slice/s Smoked British Streaky Bacon Rashers, roughly chopped
½ Essential Savoy Cabbage, core removed, leaves shredded
2 tbsp plain flour
½ x 200ml pot half fat crème fraîche
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
½ Essential Lemon, scrubbed, zest
½ x 25g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped
80g fresh breadcrumbs
½ x 200g pack Wensleydale Creamery Yorkshire Wensleydale, crumbled

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. Put the chicken thighs in a small roasting tray, season, then drizzle with 1 tbsp oil and roast for 30-35 minutes, or until cooked through, the juices run clear and no pink meat remains. Allow to cool a little in the tin.
Meanwhile, put the stock in a small pan and warm it gently. In a separate large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the bacon until crisp.
Tip the cabbage and a splash of water into the bacon and cook, covered, for 3-4 minutes until wilted. Add the flour, stirring constantly, until it smells biscuity. Gradually pour in the hot stock and stir to a thickened sauce. Add the crème fraîche, mustard, lemon zest and parsley.
Flip the grill setting to high. Remove the chicken skin, bones and juices (see tip). Spoon away any excess fat from the tin, but don’t wash it up. Shred the meat with a couple of forks and add to the sauce. Simmer, season, then pour into the roasting tin. Top with the crumbs, then the cheese, drizzle with the remaining ½ tbsp oil and grill for 4-5 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.

Cook’s tip

Why not save the chicken bones for a pan of homemade stock, simmered up with a few simple vegetables and herbs? Find a recipe for homemade chicken stock on waitrose.com/recipes