This is a slightly lighter and more refined version of the chicken-and-ham-pie combination I posted about recently.

It’s quite filling, but there is not a lot of carbohydrate. If you’re hungry (or you are making this for legions of teenage boys) serve with crusty bread (or magnificent mustard morsels). Otherwise a green salad with an avocado or two mixed into it, and a mustardy dressing would be quite sufficient enough.

Recipe for chicken with mustard and Parma ham folds

For four

• 4 x chicken breasts, about 200g/8 oz altogether
• Butter and olive oil for frying
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed with 1 tsp smoked salt
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 120ml/½ cup pink Martini
• 600ml/2½ cups chicken stock made with three generous tsps. chicken stock powder
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• 25g/1 oz, a small bunch of flat leaved parsley (including the stem) – chop
• 90g/3 oz Parma ham
• Smoked salt and Indonesian long pepper

1. Cut the chicken breasts into pieces small enough that they don’t need to be cut with a knife.
2. In a large oval frying pan, fry the chicken in olive oil until golden.
3. Push the chicken to one end of the frying pan, add a knob of butter and fry the onion – when it is just beginning to go transparent add the garlic. Fry for two or three more minutes.
4. Add the contents of the frying pan to a medium sized saucepan with a lid. Add the tomato purée, the Martini and the stock.
5. Mix all together, bring to the boil and simmer (use the simmering oven if you have an aga), covered, for about half an hour.
6. Take off the heat and add the mustard, parsley and crème fraîche.
7. Top with folds of Parma ham – put back in a cool oven for half an hour or so if you want to keep warm.
8. Serve