Succulent Oven Baked Chicken Breasts

Oven baked chicken breast with roast potatoes and broccoli

Chicken breasts are hugely popular, fairly inexpensive and incredibly versatile in the number of ways in which they can be cooked, either whole or having been chopped up in advance. If they do have one failing, however, it is that if they are in any way undercooked, they can represent a health risk, and if they are in any way overcooked, they can be tough and unpalatable. This method of cooking chicken breasts as good as ensures perfect results every time and is a very easy recipe to follow. The accompaniments to the chicken breasts can of course be varied to suit your tastes and preferences but in this instance, the potatoes have to initially be cooked at least a few hours in advance, or cooked the night before and stored in the fridge overnight.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min (plus cooling time for potatoes)

Cook time: 1 hour 10 min

Ready in: 1 hour 40 min (plus cooling time for potatoes)

Yields: 2 servings

Ingredients

• Baby potatoes as required for 2 people, whole, skin on
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped coriander (cilantro)
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated/shredded/very finely chopped
• 2 medium skinless chicken breast fillets
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets

 Method

Put the potatoes into a pot of cold, salted water, ensuring they are all comfortably covered. Put the pot on to a high heat until the water starts to boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are just softened. Drain, return to the pot and leave to cool. If desired, once they are partly cooled, they can be placed in a suitable container and refrigerated (still in their skins!) overnight.

Olive oil and flavourants are added to casserole dish

Put your oven on to preheat to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Add the olive oil, chopped coriander (cilantro) and garlic to a casserole dish just large enough to accommodate the chicken breasts side by side. Stir briefly with a wooden spoon to combine.

Chicken breasts are added to seasoned oil

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with a little salt and lay them side by side, presentation (smooth) sides up in the casserole dish. Put the lid on the dish and place it into the oven for precisely 20 minutes (reduce accordingly if using fan assisted). When the chicken has been in the oven for 10 minutes, pour the vegetable oil into a deep baking or roasting tray large enough to accommodate all the potatoes and place it in the oven to preheat.

While the chicken is cooking, carefully peel/rub the skin from all the cooled potatoes.

Oven baked chicken breasts

Take the casserole dish from the oven and - being careful of escaping steam - remove the lid. Use a metal skewer to pierce the thickest part of each chicken breast and ensure the juices run clear. Lift with a slotted spoon to a deep plate and cover with foil to rest while you cook potatoes and broccoli.

Carefully add the potatoes to the tray of hot oil and turn them around with a spatula to ensure even coating. Turn oven up to 220C/450F/Gas Mark 8 and cook for 15/20 minutes until golden, giving tray a gentle shake half way through.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the broccoli fillets for 7 to 8 minutes before draining to serve. 

Lift the potatoes to a plate covered with kitchen paper to briefly drain before plating your meals.
  
 

Pancetta Wrapped Chicken Breast with Pan Roasted Potatoes and Sprouts

Pancetta wrapped chicken breast served with roast potatoes, sprouts and redcurrant sauce

Pancetta is a form of bacon from Italy. It is much closer to American bacon than British bacon (it is taken from the belly of the pig, rather than the back) but it tastes of course similar to both. It is important to remember when cooking with pancetta that you are extremely unlikely to need any additional salt, as the salt curing should provide all that you require. That is why the chicken breasts in this recipe are seasoned with white pepper only and the only salt used is in the poaching water for the potatoes and the Brussels sprouts.

Ingredients (Serves Two People)

2 skinless chicken breast fillets
10 slices of pancetta
12 small potatoes
10 Brussels sprouts
Salt (see note in opening paragraph)
White pepper
Redcurrant jelly

Chicken breast fillets and pancetta

Directions

Add your unpeeled potatoes to a large pot of cold salted water. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for twenty-five to thirty minutes until the potatoes are soft. Drain, cover and leave to cool completely.

Wrapping chicken breast fillets in pancetta

Start your oven preheating to 375F/190C. Lay the chicken breast fillets on a chopping board and carefully lay five strips of pancetta over each as shown. Tuck the pancetta in underneath. Lightly oil a foil lined roasting tray and sit the fillets on it, tucked sides down. The foil simply makes the tray easier to clean.

Pancetta wrapped chicken breasts ready for roasting

Cover the tray with a second sheet of foil and cook for twenty minutes. Remove the top sheet of foil and cook for a further fifteen minutes to crisp up the pancetta. Take the tray from the oven and pierce each fillet to ensure the juices run clear. Sit aside for fifteen minutes to rest.

Pancetta wrapped chicken breasts are rested

Trim any remaining excess stalk from the Brussels sprouts and remove any loose leaves. Put them in to a pot of boiling, lightly salted water and simmer for ten to twelve minutes, depending upon their size. They should be just softened when done, never soggy and starting to fall apart.

Peel the skin off the potatoes with your hand and roast in a deep frying pan of hot oil for five or six minutes until golden.

Peeling cooled potatoes for roasting

Remove the potatoes from the oil with a large slotted spoon to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain. The sprouts should be drained through a colander.

Put a pancetta wrapped chicken fillet on each plate, together with half the sprouts and potatoes. Add the redcurrant jelly and serve.

Pancetta wrapped chicken breast is plated