As anyone who has been a regular to this site will know I’m a big Jamie Oliver fan. Natalie bought me a copy of Jamie’s latest book Cook With Jamie for my birthday back in October but I’m afraid this coincided with the time in my pregnancy when cooking was the last thing on my mind. With a beautiful sunny day outside I’m in the mood for something equally as sunny and I have decided to dust off my Cook With Jamie and finally sample one of the recipes within.
There were so many good looking recipes which I really would have loved to try, like the tomato, basil and ricotta risotto but because of my diabetes I had to select carefully and unfortunately for the moment risotto is out.
We had some chicken in the fridge so a recipe from the section on Roasted Chicken Breasts was the most logical choice. I hope you like this one!
ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST WRAPPED IN PANCETTA WITH LEEKS & THYME
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Skinless chicken breasts
- 1 Large leek, outer leaves removed, washed and then sliced into 1/4″ pieces (0.5cm)
- Couple of sprigs of fresh thyme (I couldn’t get any as it was Sunday and most of the shops are closed here so I made do with dried)
- 1 Glass white wine
- 12 Slices of pancetta (I used proscuitto since it was all I could get in our little local shop on a Sunday)
- Olive oil
- Small knob of butter
- Salt & Pepper
- (I added a handful of grated carrot and 1 whole courgette also grated but these were not in Jamie’s original recipe)
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Place the washed, sliced leeks into a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, the butter and white wine (I added my carrot and courgette here). Toss thoroughly.
- Take two ovenproof dishes and divide the veg mixture equally between them, this will act as a bed for the chicken.
- Wrap each chicken breast in the pancetta (proscuitto in my case) and place on top of the veg. Drizzle each with a little olive oil and sprinkle over a touch more thyme.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
Simple, tasty and no fuss!! Although we both felt that something was somehow missing. Maybe a little cream cheese with garlic and herbs under the ham would have been nice. That being said we both completely cleared our plates and agreed that for a meal which took minutes to prepare and was on the table within 40 minutes that this was perfect for a restful Sunday lunch!
J | 18-Feb-07 at 8:12 pm | Permalink
This looks delicious and less ‘messy’ when I tried something similar http://haveforkwilltravel.blogspot.com/2006/12/im-in-charge.html and I did put cheese and the sautéed leeks in the middle and can vouch for the disaster that was only averted by some rapid foil deployment. I’m a big fan of the Jamie books too, I managed to persuade M to get the latest also so when I stay with her I can consult it.
Mallika | 18-Feb-07 at 9:58 pm | Permalink
Hi Pamela - you have a lovely blog. We have two things in common - love of quick cooking and Jamie Oliver. The chicken looks lovely but I’m with you on the cheese and garlic
Pamela | 19-Feb-07 at 9:11 am | Permalink
Thanks J! I saw your recipe, messy maybe but delicious all the same!
Mallika - Thank you so much, I hope you stop by again!!
joey | 19-Feb-07 at 2:04 pm | Permalink
That looks delicious…yum, leeks and pancetta! I also love Jamie
His recipes always look so good and it helps that he is absolutely adorable! Heehee 
Paz | 19-Feb-07 at 8:39 pm | Permalink
I like the idea of the chicken wrapped in pancetta. Yum! How good that you’re carefully watching what affects your diabetes. Good for you!
Paz
Pamela | 20-Feb-07 at 10:35 am | Permalink
Joey - I really feel for Jamie, he’s always trying to “give something back” and unfortunately the press in the UK seem to thrive on trying to drag him down.
Paz - I visited the Diabetes clinic and things are looking really great with my blood sugar. The food plan is working and things are well under control. If things continue like this then I’ll be very happy and so will my doctor. Apparently GS is most difficult to control between weeks 25-35 and I’m in week 29, so in theory the worst is over.
Foodfreak | 20-Feb-07 at 3:01 pm | Permalink
Oh my I need to get a copy of that book, have been browsing through it in a store… this looks fabulous!
I like most Jamie recipes, and he seems to be a nice and down-to-earth guy. I have no idea why the press is after him at all, he is doing a good job - he is giving back to the people, yeah, hell, he is rich and has earned it, but he’s gone a long way investing in that “Fifteen” thing and stepping on toes with the Feed Me Better campaign. He made people cook real foods with his simple approach to foods, he earned his MBE for that alone
Food Bloggin | 20-Feb-07 at 4:09 pm | Permalink
[...] You’ll find the recipe here. [...]
posie’s place » Jamie O’s Ragu Of Tiny Meatballs | 21-Feb-07 at 5:52 pm | Permalink
[...] other night I’m on a roll and have decided to test drive another recipe. We both liked the chicken wrapped in pancetta the other night and as I’ve already said it’s about time I started to ensure that our [...]