Chicken in a creamy mustard sauce

This is one of those recipes that's almost embarrassingly easy to make, but tastes wonderful. Because I try to stick to a fairly low-fat diet after being diagnosed with gallstones a couple of years ago, I use low-fat creme fraiche whenever I can and Yeo Valley's is particularly creamy tasting - in fact, I defy anyone to tell that it's low fat. You do notice when you cook with it though, as low-fat dairy products tend to 'split' when they're heated. So I've been trying to find a way to stop this happening and I've now got the solution: a teaspoon of cornflour seems to stabilise it perfectly, so no more splitting. Of course, you can use standard full-fat crème fraîche instead, if you prefer.

For 2 people, finely chop a leek and fry in very little olive oil with a crushed clove of garlic until sizzling then down the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 5 mins until very soft but not browned. Meanwhile, slice 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts into chunks and stir-fry in a little vegetable oil for about 4 minutes or until cooked through. Stir a tsp of cornflour into a little water until well mixed, then add to a small non-stick pan with a tub of low-fat creme fraiche and a heaped tbsp of Dijon mustard (seems like a lot but the taste is softened when it's heated, so don't be tempted to use less) plus plenty of seasoning. Add the leeks, heat very gently until warmed through then pour over the chicken, and scatter with chopped parsley. I like this served with basmati rice and wilted spinach.

TIP: it's good made with wholegrain mustard too, but personally I prefer the slightly subtler taste of Dijon here.

TIP 2: if you have trouble cooking fluffy rice, forget everything you've ever read about how to do it... Just bring plenty of salted water to a fast, rolling boil in a large pan, tip the rice in and turn down the heat until just boiling (there should be a lot more water than rice in the pan to start with, that’s the key thing). Give it a good stir, then leave for 8 mins, uncovered. Give it another stir, cook for 2 minutes more and drain well. Works every time!

Tip 3: you can use pork tenderloin in place of the chicken - slice into medallions and stir-fry as for the chicken


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