Spring Vegetables & Chicken

with a pinch of Tarragon

This light, vibrant, spring vegetable and slow cooked chicken dish is packed with a rainbow of different coloured vegetables; including creamy leeks, and sweet, nutty butternut squash.

Tip: Delicious served with broccoli, with cooked brown rice or even with fresh pasta stirred through.

Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 1 hour | Makes 8 portions or 2 adult portions and a baby potion | Suitable for freezing | Suitable from 8 months

Ingredients

400ml homemade or low salt vegetable stock (or just hot water if you don’t have the low salt stock)
1 strand of fresh tarragon chopped or ½ tsp dried tarragon
1 garlic clove peeled and crushed
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped
200g butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and roughly chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and roughly chopped
2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
Glug of olive oil
Pinch of dried marjoram

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas mark 4.
Heat a lug of oil in a large casserole pan on a medium heat, then add the onion and leek and fry for five minutes until starting to go soft. Add the crushed garlic and the marjoram and stir, frying for a few more minutes.
While the onions are cooking peel and roughly chop the carrots, parsnip and butternut squash. Add these, and the chicken to the casserole pan and stir for a few minutes.
Add the hot water or vegetable stock and tarrogan, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low. Crumple up and wet a piece of greaseproof paper, then open it out and place on top of the stew. Cover with a lid and pop in the oven for 1 hour, or until the chicken is super-tender.