A few days back I posted to you guys my recipe for "Poached Chicken with Mushroom Sauce" - It was quite a complex and a potentially expensive dish so today I wanted to provide to you a recipe, inspired my a Jamie Oliver dish for a Chicken and Mushroom Bake. From the last dish I had left a Banana Shallot (I always buy two just incase something hideous has happened to one of them), a breast of Chicken, Parsley, Wine and Chestnut and White Mushrooms. So without dipping

into to my store-cupboard again too much (well, not the dried Mushrooms again, I feel I need to save them for another dish) I wanted to make something healthy and simple and after blog-browsing I found a lovely Jamie dish for Chicken and Mushroom Potato topped pie. It's healthy, easy, and wholly satisfying. Furthermore it's also very good value. This recipe is plenty for two with some green vegetables or ok with one with leftovers - depending on how your stomach's holding up. Here's my adaption of the recipe. Thanks to Jamie for the inspiration.

The Recipe:

Ingredients:

15 ml Olive Oil - More to brush on top

1 Chicken Breast - Diced

1 Banana Shallot - Fine chopped

1 clove of Garlic - Minced

1tsp Sugar

60 grams of White Mushrooms - Roughly chopped

60 grams of Chestnut Mushrooms - Roughly chopped

1 tbsp of Parsley leaves

1 tbsp Stalks of Parsley - (Soaked in 100 ml boiling water - I'll explain the value of this later) - Optional

100 ml White Wine

2 tsp flour.

250 ml of Chicken Stock (preferably made from concentrate with 150 ml of Potato Water and 100 ml of Parsley water)

200 - 300 grams of Unpeeled Charlotte Potatoes - Finely Sliced.

Cook the meal:

1. Prepare the ingredients. Dice the shallot, mince the Garlic and finely slice the Charlotte Potatoes. Then, dice the Chicken

2. Season the Chicken and add to the hot Oil moving around until sealed. Roughly 2-3 mins. Remove and set aside.

3. Add Shallot until translucent then stir in 1tsp of Sugar and minced Garlic for another minute.

4. Add Mushrooms to cook until all liquid has been released and they appear soft and juicy - 5-10 minutes.

5. Bring pan to a high heat and throw Wine in until reduced by two thirds. While this is happening, boil sliced potatoes for 1 minute and drain.

4. Now sprinkle in the flour stirring contstantly. The mixture should start to thicken.

5. Slowly add the stock (see suggestion below) stirring constantly until used up.

6. When the mixture looks and dense stir back through the Chicken and the Parsley.

7. Take off the heat.

Assemble the meal

8. In a small dish place Chicken mixture.

9. Layer up the potatoes brushing with oil and seasoning, pressing down as you go.

10. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from over and serve with some frozen peas if you want.

Stock:

1. Add 1 Chicken Stock cube or enough liquid concentrate of stock (I used Knorr) to make up 250ml Stock.

2. When Potatoes are cooked strain off 150 ml of the water (which will be flavoured by the Potato Skins) and place in jug with stock cube.

3. Add 100ml of boiling water to Parsley an leave to infuse. Then add again to Chicken

concentrate stock.

4. Mix well, add at step 5 in recipe.

Notes:

- The advantage of using the Potato and Parsley water in the stock is to ensure you pack as much flavour from the ingredients you use as possible. You can adapt to many dishes - Do the same with any bits of herb you don't use in the dish - Rosemary stalks for example in a Lamb Stock for Shepherds pie.

- I've left the wine addition up to you with this dish but if you use a sweeter wine maybe cut down the amount of sugar you use. Remember to taste the dish as you go - You'll know what flavour the wine's giving to your dish.