Creamy Chicken Thigh & Cranberry Stew With Crushed Potatoes

Before you begin...

Get all your ingredients and equipment ready

Skim through these steps, then wash your fruit and veg

Take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Note: Equipment and pan sizes vary. Make sure you cook food thoroughly (even if it takes you a little longer than 10 min)

Now, let's get started!

Boil a full kettle

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat

Once hot, add your diced chicken with a generous pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 min or until lightly browned

Add your waxy potatoes to a heatproof bowl, then cover the bowl with cling film and pierce a few holes in the top with a fork

Put the bowl in the microwave for 6-8 min or until the potatoes are fork-tender

Once fork-tender, add a knob of butter and a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then crush lightly with a fork – these are your crushed potatoes

Meanwhile, dissolve your chicken stock mix in 175ml [230ml] [300ml] boiled water

Wash your spinach and pat dry with kitchen paper

Once the chicken has browned, add your roasted garlic paste, dried thyme and 1/2 tbsp [3/4 tbsp] [1 tbsp] flour to the pan and cook for 30 secs or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add the chicken stock and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 min or until the sauce has thickened

Top, tail and slice your carrot[s] into discs on the diagonal

Add the carrot discs to a pot of plenty of boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, cook for 3-4 min or until the carrots are tender with a slight bite

Once done, drain the carrots and return to the pot with a small knob of butter

Once the sauce has thickened, add your soft cheese, dried cranberries and spinach to the pan with a generous grind of black pepper

Cook for a further 1 min or until the spinach has wilted and the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your creamy chicken & cranberry stew