Irish Baked Chicken Breast

10:00 pm on 7 February 2004

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

  • knob of butter (about 4 tsp)
  • 1 carrot, peeled
  • 1/2 leek, well washed
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1/2 onion
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 cup Guinness

Method

Make 4 double-thickness squares of aluminium foil, each about 30cm square. Rub the centre of each square with butter. Coarsely chop the carrot, leek and onion. Divide into 4 and place in the centre of each foil square. Add a bay leaf and a chicken breast to each pile of vegetables. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Fold one side of each square over to meet the opposite side, then seal by folding the 2 edges over and over, finely crimping them together between your fingers. Seal off one end of each parcel in the same manner. Pour 1/4 of the Guinness into each parcel before sealing the last end. Place the parcels on a heated hotplate for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. Open one of the parcels to check whether it’s cooked. Serve in the foil wrap or unpack and arrange on a platter.