Creamy Chicken, Mushroom & Tarragon Spaghetti

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C (fan)/ gas 6 then take your chicken out of the fridge and open the packet to let it breathe before cooking

Boil a full kettle

Pull the chicken skin off the chicken thighs and season the chicken skin generously with salt

Heat a large, dry, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over a medium-low heat

Once hot, add the chicken skin and fry for 7-8 min or until golden and beginning to crisp

Tip: Weigh the chicken skin down with a second, smaller pan to make it even crispier!

While the chicken skin is cooking, add the chicken thighs to a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper (use tin foil to avoid mess!)

Once the chicken skin is starting to crisp, add it to the tray with the chicken thighs and put the tray in the oven for 17-18 min or until cooked through (no pink meat!)

Reserve the pan

Meanwhile, peel and dice the shallot[s]

Slice the chestnut mushrooms finely

Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic

Strip the tarragon leaves from their stems and chop them roughly, discard the stems

Return the pan to a medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil

Once hot, add the diced shallot and chopped garlic and cook for 3-4 min or until softened

Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 5 min further

Meanwhile, add the spaghetti to a pot of boiled water with a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cook the spaghetti for 8-10 min or until cooked with a slight bite, then drain and set aside

Dissolve the chicken stock mix with 150ml [300ml] boiled water and stir through the soft cheese – this is your creamy chicken stock

Wash the spinach, then pat it dry with kitchen paper

Once the vegetables have softened, add the washed spinach, chopped tarragon (reserve a little for garnish) and creamy chicken stock to the pan and cook for 5 min further until the sauce has thickened

Once the chicken is cooked, remove the tray from the oven and shred it apart, using two forks – this technique is known as 'pulling'

Add the shredded chicken and drained spaghetti to the pan and season with a crack of black pepper and a pinch of salt

Give everything a good mix up and cook for 1-2 min further until the sauce beings to stick to the pasta