I’ve been cooking this dish for many years, it was a firm favourite for a long time, served up time and again at summer dinner parties, but somehow, I’d forgotten about it. It came to mind earlier in the summer and has become a favourite with our guests. Sweet fennel, bright lemon zest, the tiniest hint of chilli and some fresh garden herbs fill the soft beans with flavour. It’s lovely with chicken cooked in garlic and butter, a little crisp bacon on top for some smoky, saltiness, but would work well with pan fried cod too.
Serves 4 (maybe with some leftover beans, depending on how hungry you are)
1 bulb fennel, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small pinch chilli flakes (optional)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 x 800g can (530g drained weight) fine flageolet beans, drained
4 chicken breasts
75g butter, cubed
8 rashers smoked, streaky bacon
A small bunch each basil, mint and parsley, finely chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan and add the fennel and onions, sprinkle in a pinch of salt and a little splash of water. The water helps to stop the fennel and onions catching and turning too brown. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until sweet and soft and just turning a pale gold. Add a little more oil if it starts to become dry. Lift the lid and stir regularly to make sure they don’t catch.
Pre-heat the oven to 200c/390f and put an oven proof dish large enough to fit your chicken breasts on the top shelf to pre-heat too. Add one of the grated garlic cloves to the onions and fennel and fry for a minute or two before adding the chilli flakes, lemon zest and the drained beans, stir to coat the beans in the oil, then turn the heat down to low and let the beans warm through gently.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and pre-heat another frying pan until piping hot. Add just enough oil to the pan to coat the bottom when you swirl it around. Add your chicken breasts to the pan, presentation side down, and allow them to sear and turn golden. When they start to brown, add the butter and the remaining clove of crushed garlic, dotting the cubes of butter round the pan. Tilt the pan and use a spoon to baste the chicken breasts with butter, then turn them over to begin cooking on the second side.
After a minute or two, transfer to the pre-heated oven dish with the butter from the pan and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the chicken breasts are cooked through. The easiest way to check this is to use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be 74c/165f.
While the chicken is cooking, wipe out the chicken pan with kitchen paper, put it back on the heat and fry your bacon, set aside.
Your beans should now be warmed through. Squeeze over the lemon juice and stir through the fresh herbs. Serve the beans with the chicken breasts on top, their buttery juices spooned over and two pieces of bacon on top to of each piece of chicken to finish it all off.
