Recipe boxes offer a convenient way to wean yourself off a dependency on takeaways by planning your meals and sending all the ingredients straight to your door. Of course, that convenience can come at a cost premium, since you’re effectively paying someone to do your planning and shopping for you. And even if you are assiduous in working out what to eat and getting everything in, there’ll be a day here or there when the cupboards are bare and you’ll linger over that ready meal in your local store for a lack of other options. Well, here’s an option – a protein-rich Parisienne spiced chicken meal from the gang at HelloFresh.
We’d wager that wherever you live you’ll be able to find these ingredients on your commute home (unless you work at home). Given, of course, that you’re okay to sub in mixed herbs for the particular blend of white peppercorns, nutmeg, paprika, clove buds, thyme, cinnamon, basil and bay leaves you’ll find in Parisienne herbs. You may also have to cobble together your own balsamic mustard with, y’know balsamic vinegar and mustard. But even so, we’ve been in petrol stations that have all this stuff available.
This accessibility is one of the things we love about the HelloFresh cookbook, Recipes That Work. None of the recipes require a schlep to a health food shop for ingredients but it’s all still perfectly healthy. At 492 calories per serving this meal is well within Public Health England’s 400-600-600 calorie suggestion and you still get to chow down on a whole chicken breast.
Ingredients (Serves Two)
- 2 carrots
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1.5tsp Parisienne herbs
- 1 red onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 100ml chicken stock
- 1 can green lentils
- 300ml crème fraîche
- 1tbsp balsamic mustard
- Olive oil
Method
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/gas 6 and put the kettle on to boil. Remove the tops and bottoms from the carrots (no need to peel!). Halve them lengthways, then chop into batons about the size of your little finger. Place on a lined baking tray, drizzle over a little oil and season with a pinch of salt. Toss to coat in the oil, then roast on the top shelf of your oven until nicely browned and soft enough to eat, 20-25 minutes. Turn halfway through cooking.
- Put the chicken in a bowl with a glug of oil, the Parisienne herbs and a pinch of salt. Rub the seasoning into the meat. Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for two minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking tray and roast on the top shelf of your oven for 23-25 minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked – no longer pink in the middle – cook it for longer if needed.
- Meanwhile, halve, peel and thinly slice the red onion into half moons. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press), roughly chop the parsley (stalks and all) and prepare the chicken stock. Drain the lentils in a sieve and rinse under cold water.
- Wash your frying pan if necessary and heat a splash of oil over medium heat. Add the onion. Stir and cook until softened, five minutes then add the garlic. Cook for one minute more and add the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn it down a little and simmer to reduce by half, which should take about five minutes. Mix in the lentils and crème fraîche. Heat until piping hot, then remove from the heat.
- When the chicken and carrot are cooked, take them out of your oven. Leave the chicken to rest for a couple of minutes on a chopping board. Cut each breast into six even slices.
- Reheat the lentil mixture if necessary and then stir in the parsley and half of the punchy balsamic mustard. Taste and add salt, pepper and more mustard, if necessary. Share between bowls. Arrange the roasted carrots on top and then finish with the spiced chicken.
See related
- A Recipe Book You’ll Use Every Day: HelloFresh Recipes That Work
- HelloFresh Rapid Box Review: You Really Can Make Dinner In 20 Minutes (Really)
- 3 Mouth-Watering High-Protein Meal Recipes
Nutritional Info (Per Serving)
Calories 492
Fat 21g
of which saturates 12g
Carbohydrate 27g
of which sugars 16g
Protein 48g
Salt 1.79g
