Lentils
I am a lentil snob and I really do prefer the Puy variety when it comes to the green lentils. They are small, mottled and slate grey/green. It’s my bad luck that I have expensive taste as Puy lentils are a bit more expensive than the bog standard green lentils but really truly in this case, you get what you pay for. I could make a case for using the other green types in soups for example when they are delicious, but here in this recipe there isn’t anywhere really to hide, so if you can get the Puy lentils. They hold their shape and keep their texture well and I love their light delicate pepperiness. The Merchant Gourmet pouches are the best I’ve come across, perfectly cooked and just as good as when you take the time to make them yourself. Highly recommend.

The pancetta is a small but crucial element to this dish. I like the pancetta lardons for their chunkiness, but you could also use streaky bacon snipped into the pan with scissors.

Herbs and Spices for the dry rub
Here I’ve used, cumin, chilli and oregano. But there are so many herbs and spices you could use which would also work beautifully. Ground coriander, garam masala, turmeric, thyme, sage…play around and have fun, nothing really can go too wrong. As always with me, the garlic is my non negotiable. On the subject of garlic, do make sure the garlic is very finely crushed and you really smoosh it into the chicken when you rub the blend into it as any large chunks of garlic might be tempted to burn in the pan. This is another reason for keeping the pan temperature at medium and not too high. Garlic is delicious, burnt garlic is not.

Pesto
Of course purists will use a pestle and mortar, and of course you can. But I am not a purist and I love using a food processor for most things. I sometimes leave the grated parmesan out until the end when I stir it through for a more rustic texture but then sometimes I like to blitz it all together and appreciate the creaminess of the blended parmesan. However the mood takes you, all roads lead to good things here. Toasted pinenuts - this seems like such a small and inconsequential instruction but I promise you the difference between untoasted and toasted pinenuts is actually huge and will make your pesto go from good to great.

Crispy onions
Crispy onions - I buy them in a tub from the supermarket or they come in a packet from the brilliant shop at the end of our road. Yes sometimes I fry mine own - tossed in a little cornflour and semi deep fried - very delicious but one more thing to think about. And the pots / packets are a great thing to have in the cupboard for adorning lots of different things, great thrown into salads, or sprinkled on top of most things. Frazzled garlic, fried spring onions…all v good. And add a lovely crunch. Toasted pinenuts would also be good and you should have some leftover from making the pesto, so waste not, want not. Something crunchy works really well as a garnish for this and is just so satisfying in each mouthful.