Chicken with mustard and creme fraiche

This is one of my favourites - so easy and so tasty. I often replace the chicken with turkey steaks, and it's just as good. Serve with baby spinach or salad. The recipe comes from Nigel Slater, writing in the Observer back in May last year. I've made it four or five times since then!

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs or turkey steaks
• 250ml of creme fraiche
• 2 or 3 heaped tablespoons of grainy mustard
• 2 garlic cloves
• 150g of pancetta or lardons
• 3 or 4 small sprigs of thyme

Method

1. Set the oven to 200°C or gas mark 6.
2. Put the chicken or turkey in an oven-proof dish.
3. Put the creme fraiche into a bowl, and stir in the mustard.
4. Crush the garlic and add to the creme fraiche mixture.
5. Pull the thyme leaves off the stalks and add them to the creme fraiche mixture.
6. Cut the pancetta into short little strips (if you're using lardons, they'll probably be chopped already).
7. Fry the pancetta or lardons in a non-stick pan until the fat is golden.
8. Mix the pancetta or lardons with the creme fraiche sauce, then pour it over the chicken or turkey.
9. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until the sauce is bubbling.
10. Throughout this process help yourself to a glass or two of chilled New Zealand white.