Chicken with leaf celery and green vegetables

The following is an adaptation of a Nigella Lawson recipe, although after much tweaking and exchanging of ingredients, it doesn't really bear much resemblance to the original. In my parents' garden there is a celery plant, though not a conventional plant as you might expect; it is a leaf celery plant, sometimes referred to as French celery, Chinese celery or smallage. You use only the leaves of this plant, as the long, hollow stems are extremely stringy. The leaves are bitter and heavily scented - a small quantity imparts a pungent, aromatic celery flavour to your dish, far less subtle than stem celery and is balanced out by the sweetness of the vegetables. Also picked from the garden was some lovely fresh thyme, to add further seasoning to the dish. What resulted was a heady broth with tender pieces of chicken and sweet green veg. 

Chicken with leaf celery and green vegetables

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

150 g smoked bacon lardons (or chopped bacon)

9-12 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

1 leek, finely sliced

1/4 cup leaf celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, plus a pinch of dried thyme

pinch of salt and pepper

200 ml dry white wine

300 ml boiling water

2 chicken stock cubes

250 g frozen peas

250 g frozen broad beans, boiled briefly and popped out of their papery skins

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

5 leaves iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped

100 ml double cream

Notes - We have never seen leaf celery on general sale in the UK and thus you probably won't be able to acquire any, although if you can - use it! Ordinary celery is a perfectly good substitute, just use one stick, chopped finely like the leek. If you can't get hold of fresh thyme, just use 1 tsp of the dried stuff. You may even want to supplement the flavour of your fresh thyme, as I did, with a pinch of dried thyme. Of course use fresh peas and broad beans if you are lucky enough to have them and feel free to omit the cream.

Method

1. Heat a large pan and fry the lardons until brown. Meanwhile, trim any excess skin, fat or bone fragments from the chicken thighs. Once the lardons are brown, place the thighs skin side down into the pan. Cook over a high heat for a few minutes until their skins are lovely and golden brown. 

2. Chuck in the leeks, celery and garlic, followed by the thyme and some salt and pepper. Crumble in the stock cubes and pour in the wine and boiling water. Stir to give everything a good mix. 

3. Add the peas and broad beans, bring to the boil, then cover with a lid. Turn the heat down and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Stir in the mustard and sprinkle the chopped iceberg over the top. Check your seasonings and cook for a few more minutes until the lettuce has wilted. Drizzle with the cream, if using, and stir gently.

5. Serve with potatoes, mashed or steamed, or a pile of brown rice. A chunk of crusty bread wouldn't go amiss either, to mop up the sauce.