Hearty Roast Chicken

Pat the chicken breasts with kitchen paper to dry the skin and rub each with a little olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Once really hot, add the chicken, skin-side down. Cook for 2-3 mins. Transfer the chicken to a baking tray, skin-side up, and put it on the top shelf of your oven. Cook for 20 mins. Don't wash the frying pan - we'll use it again later.

Meanwhile, pick the thyme leaves from their stalks (discard the stalks). TIP: You can do this quickly if you pinch the tip of the thyme stalks with one hand and run finger and thumb of the other hand downwards to strip off the leaves. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Roughly chop the chestnut mushrooms.

Heat a glug of olive oil in the (now empty) frying pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the thyme leaves and garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms. Cook until they have softened, 5 mins. TIP: If you have some white wine or dry sherry open, pour in a good glug and let it bubble off.

Add the chicken stock pot with the water (amount specified in the ingredient list) and stir until the stock pot has dissolved. Reduce the mixture by a third, then turn off the heat. Wait 1 minute for the sauce to cool, then stir through the Dijon mustard and crème fraîche. TIP: Waiting for the sauce to cool a little before adding the crème fraîche ensures it won't split.