Lavender Chicken is a traditional English recipe for a classic dish of chicken breasts topped with lavender and wrapped in bacon that are seasoned, baked and finished with Cheddar cheese on top. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic English version of: Lavender Chicken.
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Lavender is very flavoursome and is found in just about every English garden. It's a very strongly-flavoured herb and should, generally be used sparingly. It was commonly used in cooking from Elizabethan through to Edwardian times but has recently fallen out of favour. Partly this is due to the recognition that lavender is a potent allergen and should not be consumed by pregnant women or if breast feeding.
Ingredients:
4 skinless chicken breasts
12 sprigs fresh lavender
8 slices bacon
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
150g grated Cheddar cheese
salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, to taste
Method:
Place 3 sprigs of lavender on top of each chicken breast then wrap 2 slices of bacon around the breasts to secure the lavender in place. Transfer to a shallow baking dish or roasting tin and season liberally with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and chilli flakes.
Place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) and bake for 20 minutes, turning the breasts half way through. At the end of this time turn the breasts once more (so that the lavender is on top) then sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese. Increase the temperature to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6) and return the chicken to the oven. Bake for a further 10 minutes and serve hot.
