Pan fried chicken and chorizo lentils

1 chicken breast (this recipe serves 2 – frugal as ever!)
2 tbsp olive oil
a good splash balsamic vinegar
a sprinkle of dried tarragon

100g red lentils
4″ chunk of chorizo
1 onion, finely chopped
boiling water

1. Thinly slice the chicken breast horizontally, into 3 or 4 pieces.
2. Put 1 tbsp of the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and the tarragon into a dish, mix thoroughly and marinate the chicken slices in it for an hour, or however long you’ve got.
3. Skin the chorizo and chop finely.
4. Heat the other tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan. Fry the onions until beginning to soften, then add the chorizo and continue frying for a few minutes to get all those lovely paprika juices flowing.
5. Rinse the lentils in a sieve and add to the onion and chorizo. Stir well to coat and start the lentils absorbing the lovely juices. Cover with boiling water and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, until soft and creamy. (Add more water as needed, and keep a constant eye on them – in the early stages they foam and boil over, later on they can dry out and stick. Little rascals, eh?) Add salt to taste.
6. Heat a frying pan and flash fry the chicken slices in their own marinade. They will cook very fast because they are so thin. A couple of minutes each side should do the trick.
7. Put a generous portion of the creamy lentils on a plate and place the chicken slices on top. I served mine with mashed potato and Delia’s Red Cabbage. Nice!

No picture I’m afraid – we ate it too quickly.