Chicken With Figs

Ideally you would use fresh figs as the main ingredient in this chicken recipe, but they are seasonal so I've suggested using preserved ones despite the loss in flavor. If you do use fresh, the preparation and cooking is exactly the same.

Be sure to remove the stalks from the figs and make sure your prosciutto is top quality. Most of that stuff sold by the supermarkets ends up tasting like salty cardboard when cooked, so if you have an Italian deli nearby, that's the place to go.

Here's what you need for two people:

• 4 chicken thigh fillets
• 4 slices of prosciutto or Parma ham
• 6 preserved figs
• 6 pieces semi-dried tomatoes
• 1tsp thyme
• 1tsp oregano
• 4 twists of black pepper
• 100mls chicken stock
• 1 wine glass of white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove of garlic, whole
• 2 knobs of butter

Beat out the thigh fillets between two sheets of plastic wrap using a rolling pin, meat mallet or something similar, until you have four thinnish escalopes.

In a food processor, blitz the figs, tomatoes, thyme, oregano and black pepper. Spread one side of each escalope with this mixture and roll it up, then wrap it in a slice of the ham. Put the finished rolls in the fridge while you prepare the bouillon.

Put the stock, garlic, bay leaf and wine in a shallow pan that has a lid and is big enough to allow the chicken rolls to lie side by side. Bring this bouillon to a simmer. Add the chicken and place the rolls so that the bit where the ham joins is on the bottom. This way, you won't need to hold the thing together with cocktail sticks.

Cover the pan and simmer (which is the same as poach) the chicken for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken and keep warm.

Remove the garlic and bay leaf from the broth and discard. Boil the liquid rapidly to reduce by two thirds and then whisk in the butter or, if you like creamy sauces, add a little cream instead.

Serve the chicken by pouring the sauce on to shallow plates, slice the fillets into 10cm (1/2 inch) rounds and arrange them on the sauce. Serve with freshly cooked asparagus tips and plain boiled baby potatoes.

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