Dried and fresh mushrooms each bring something different to this dish – the dried mushrooms add depth of flavour to the pilaf, while fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter and garlic add beautiful earthiness. Use dried porcini or mixed dried field mushrooms – whichever take your fancy.

Ingredients

1½ tbsp olive oil

8 skinless chicken thigh fillets

30 gm butter, diced

200 gm Swiss brown mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste

Buckwheat pilaf

500 ml hot chicken stock (2 cups)

20 gm dried mushrooms

2 tbsp olive oil

½ small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

2 tsp chopped thyme

125 gm buckwheat

Large handful of baby kale (see note)

Method

Main

1.For buckwheat pilaf, bring stock and dried mushrooms to a simmer. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion, garlic, lemon rind and thyme, and sauté until onion is just tender (2-3 minutes). Stir in buckwheat to coat in oil and toast lightly, add stock mixture, season t taste, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until buckwheat is tender and most of the stock is absorbed (15-18 minutes). Stir in kale to wilt and check seasoning.

2.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add chicken in batches and brown well all over. Transfer to a roasting pan and roast until cooked through (4-5 minutes). Add butter to pan and when it foams add mushrooms and garlic and sauté until mushrooms are golden brown (1-2 minutes). Add lemon to taste, season and serve on buckwheat pilaf with chicken.