The idea for this dish came from the recipe for Pollo Spago in The River Cafe Cookbook by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers – a book I hadn’t looked through for ages. Their dish was inspired by one served in Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant in Los Angeles. My version is a little different to suit the way I cook. This is a simple chicken dish, easy and delicious.

Chicken pieces enough for four (I used chicken supremes)
8 cloves garlic
Large handful parsley, finely chopped,
Olive oil
A little fresh ginger, finely grated (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the garlic cloves in a small saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Allow to boil for a minute, then strain and allow to cool. Skin the garlic and chop the cloves.

Wipe the chicken pieces and find ‘pockets’ in the meat which can be stuffed.

In a bowl, mix the chopped parsley, garlic, ginger (optional) and season. Use half this mixture to stuff the chicken.

Pour a little olive oil into a large frying pan and add the chicken pieces. Fry them for about four minutes on each side (being careful not to let the stuffing escape when turning). Place the chicken pieces and their juices into an oven proof dish and cook in the oven (185°C) for 20 minutes. Alternatively, you could grill the chicken for about 20 minutes turning it often until the pieces are crisp and cooked through. Whichever way it is prepared, check to make sure the chicken is cooked by putting a skewer into the thickest part of the meat and checking that the juices run clear.

Heat the remaining half of the parsley mixture in a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil and any juices that can be drained from the cooked chicken. Cook for a minute.

Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.