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How to make mustard and Parmesan chicken with parsnip rösti

Melanie Johnson Melanie Johnson

Kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson shares a winter warming recipe — a chicken dish which really zings.

Parsnips, with their creamy earthiness, can’t help but bring comfort, says Melanie Johnson — and in combination with this classic chicken dish, seem perfect for the time of year.

If you’ve parsnips that you merely want to roast, it’s hard to go wrong: peel, cut in half across and then halve the broad end so they’re more evenly sized, then steam for five minutes — which will help them retain their creamy centres — and roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked. If you want to go beyond roasting in vegetable oil, then toss either in white miso paste and maple syrup or, for an alternative, but equally flavoursome version, drizzle over truffle honey.

Recipe: Winter creamy-mustard and Parmesan chicken with parsnip rösti

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 4 rashers pancetta, diced
  • 50g plain flour
  • 4 chicken breasts, lightly tenderised
  • 25g butter
  • 25ml olive oil
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 shallots, diced
  • 200ml white wine
  • 2tbspn whole-grain
  • Dijon mustard
  • 400ml chicken stock
  • 100ml double cream
  • 50g parmesan, grated

For the rösti

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  • 250g parsnips
  • 250g potatoes, such as Maris Piper
  • 40g butter, melted, plus more for frying
  • A splash of olive oil

Method

Fry the pancetta in a large casserole dish for a few minutes until crispy. Remove it to a plate. Season the plain flour in a shallow bowl and use this to coat the chicken on all sides before frying in the butter and olive oil in the same casserole dish. Arrange the rosemary, thyme and garlic cloves around the chicken. Brown the chicken all over (but do not cook through) and then remove from the casserole dish and set aside with the pancetta.

Cook the diced shallots in the casserole dish until softening and then pour on the wine to deglaze the pan. Simmer the wine to reduce by half and then stir in the mustard and chicken stock. Simmer again to reduce the stock and then return the chicken and pancetta to the pan. Continue cooking at a gentle heat for 8–10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and a skewer comes out clean. Pour in the cream, add the grated Parmesan and stir until smooth. Cover to keep warm until serving.

To make the rösti, grate the parsnips and potatoes into a large bowl and then pour over the melted butter and season well. Place in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the excess liquid. Add butter and olive oil to a large frying pan and set this over a medium heat. Tip in the grated parsnips and potatoes. Resist the temptation to flatten them, but leave to cook for about 8–10 minutes. Turn over the rösti by inverting onto a plate and then returning it to the pan, cooked side up. Cook for a further 8–10 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve the creamy chicken with rösti wedges, scattered with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan grated over.