Pan Roasted Chicken & Grapes

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6

2. Quarter the shallots and peel them. Keep some of the root on the shallot to keep them together.

3. Place an oven proof frying pan on the heat for a few mins. Dust the chicken breasts with plenty of salt and pepper. Place a square of baking paper in the pan and drizzle in 1 tbsp olive oil. Lay the chicken breasts carefully in the pan on top of the paper (this stops the chicken burning or sticking to the pan). Nestle in the shallots and cook for 3 mins on a high heat. Turn the chicken breasts over and move the shallots around. The chicken should be lightly golden. Cook for a further 3 mins.

4. Glug in the white wine and drop in the bay leaf and thyme. Add in the grapes. You can keep them on the stalks if you like. Bring the wine up to a bubble.

5. If your frying pan isn’t oven proof, transfer everything to a shallow oven proof dish. Slide the pan or dish into the oven and cook for 15 mins. The chicken should be cooked through and the grapes slightly wrinkled. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5mins. Squeeze in a little lemon juice to taste.

6. Serve with herby buttered new potatoes and salad leaves, spooning over the sweet grape juices.