Chicken with wild mushrooms and spinach

Ingredients

2 x 225g/8oz chicken breasts, skin on
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
200ml/7fl oz chicken stock
85g/3oz butter
200g/7oz assorted wild mushrooms
75ml/2½fl oz white wine
200ml/7ml double cream
handful large leaf spinach (not baby spinach)
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
For the rice
200g/7oz basmati rice, cooked according to packet instructions
75g/2½oz flaked almonds, toasted
75g/2½oz butter

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Season the chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cook skin-side down in a hot pan for 4-5 minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden-brown.
3. Turn the breast over to cook for one minute, then transfer to a deep ovenproof dish, skin-side up.
4. Add enough chicken stock to come a third of the way up the chicken. Place into the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan. When the butter is foaming, add the mushrooms and fry for 3-4 minutes, until golden.
6. Add the white wine and boil for 2-3 minutesto reduce the liquid almost completely.
7. Add the cream, spinach and tarragon and boil to reduce the liquid by a third.
8. For the rice, place the cooked rice into a bowl, add the nuts and butter and mix together well.
9. To serve, spoon out a portion of rice mixture onto a plate. Place a chicken breast alongside and spoon over some of the cream sauce.