Tarragon & almond chicken

• skinless boneless chicken↗4

  breasts

• slightly salted butter↗50g g

  softened

• finely chopped fresh tarragon1 tsp tsp

  plus extra for scattering

• finely chopped fresh parsley1 tsp tsp
• finely snipped fresh chives½ tsp tsp
• ground almond↗25g g
• large thin slices of prosciutto4

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Pat each chicken breast dry with kitchen paper. Make three lengthways slits in the top of each breast, cutting halfway through the meat.

2. 2

   Cream the butter with the herbs until smooth, then blend in the almonds and a pinch of salt. Divide into 4 equal parts and spread one portion in the slits in each breast. Gently press the meat together to reform the shape.

3. 3

   Wrap the prosciutto well around each breast, overlapping the ends (you shouldn’t need cocktail sticks to secure it). Lay the parcels in an oiled ovenproof dish and cover loosely with a piece of buttered grease proof paper or foil. (The chicken breasts can be kept like this in the fridge for 2-8 hours, but let them come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.)

4. 4

   Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, removing the butter paper or foil for the last 5 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and allow the chicken to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to individual plates and spoon over the melted butter that has collected in the bottom of the dish. Scatter with extra tarragon and some freshly ground pepper.