Crispy pancakes with creamy chicken & bacon

This recipe is in homage to a schooldays favourite of mine. My mum always served them on Friday nights after swimming – we’d come home ravenous and the crispy pancakes filled with creamy chicken always did the trick. 1 Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Cook the chicken breasts for 5-8 mins each side until golden brown and cooked through, then transfer to a plate. Tip the lardons into the pan and sizzle for a few mins until crispy, then tip out onto the plate with the chicken. 2 If the pan looks dry, add the remaining oil, then the onion. Cook for 5 mins until softened and translucent, then stir in the mushrooms and some seasoning. Cook for 5-10 mins until the mushrooms are soft and most of the liquid in the pan has cooked. Stir in the four, mixing it into the mushrooms to make a chunky paste, then pour in the milk, a little at a time, whisking continuously until you have a smooth sauce. Bubble for 2-3 mins until thick. Chop the chicken into small chunks and add back to the pan along with the lardons and any juices from the plate. Check the seasoning, stir in the parsley, then leave to cool and chill until you’re ready to fll the pancakes. 3 To make the pancakes, tip the four into a large bowl and season with 1/ tsp

2 salt. Make a well in the centre and crack in the 2 eggs. Pour in the milk, then use a large whisk to combine the eggs and milk, working the four into the liquid until you have a smooth, thin batter. Heat a large frying pan or crêpe pan with a drizzle of oil. 4 When the pan is hot, pour in just under a ladleful of the batter and quickly swirl the pan to spread it across the surface, flling any gaps with an extra drizzle of batter. When the underside of the pancake is golden, fip and cook for 30 secs more. Transfer to a plate and make three more pancakes in the same way, then cool until you’re ready to assemble. Ifyouwanttomakethe pancakesadayahead,oncecoolstack onaplate,separatedwithsheetsof bakingparchment,thenwraptheplate inclingflm.Chillforupto2days. 5 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line two baking trays with baking parchment. Take one pancake and brush a circle of beaten egg around the edge. Pile a quarter of the chicken mixture into the centre of the pancake (the sauce should have thickened while chilling), then fold the pancake over and press the edges together to make a pasty shape. Transfer to a baking tray and continue assembling the remaining pancakes. Brush the top of each one with more egg and scatter over the breadcrumbs, then bake for 20-25 mins, swapping the trays halfway through. Leave to cool for 5 mins before serving with salad or baked beans, if you like. PER SERVING 577 kcals • fat 23g • saturates 7g • carbs 49g • sugars 9g • fbre 4g • protein 42g • salt 2.7g