directions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Trim the onion, then cut in half, peel and finely chop. Peel the carrots and trim off the tops and bottoms, then cut into dice. Trim the celery stick and cut into dice. Cut the broccoli into small florets – you’ll need 200g in total. Peel the potato and cut into small chunks, roughly the same size as the broccoli.

Place the onion, carrots and celery in a pan and using a tongs, put the chicken fillets on top. Pour over the water and add the bay leaf. Season lightly with salt (optional) and freshly ground black pepper.

Cover with a lid and slowly bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is piping hot with no pink meat and the juices run clear and vegetables are tender. Using a tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate and check that the juices run clear when tested with a small sharp knife. Leave to cool, discarding the bay leaf. Blitz the vegetable and water mixture with a hand blender (or potato masher) until smooth.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the butter and once it is melted, stir in 1 tablespoon of plain flour, then cook for 1 minute, stirring. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for another 3-4 minutes until reduced and thickened. Fold in the vegetable sauce.

Steam the potatoes for 6-8 minutes until almost tender. Add the broccoli and steam for another 2 minutes until the broccoli is just cooked but still with a little bite and the potatoes are tender but still holding their shape. Remove from the heat.

Finely chop the parsley and stir most of them into the sauce. Cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a small ovenproof dish. Add the broccoli and potatoes. Pour over the sauce and sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the rest of the parsley on top. Season