Black pudding stuffed chicken with whisky sauce

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/gas 6
2. Slice a deep cut into each chicken breast horizontally to create a pocket
3. Crumble the black pudding into a small bowl, stir in the thyme and season with black pepper
4. Stuff the mixture into the pockets in the chicken breasts
5. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 bacon rashers, then season well
6. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and half the butter to a large, ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat
7. Add the chicken with the bacon ends facing down and cook for 5 mins, or until golden
8. Turn over and cook on the other side for 3 mins more, then transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 20 mins, or until cooked through
9. While the chicken is cooking, cook the sweet potato in a pan of boiling water for 10 mins, or until tender
10. Drain, then mash with the remaining butter and season well
11. Meanwhile, quarter-fill another large pan with water and bring to the boil
12. Put a steamer, colander or sieve over the water, add the kale, cover and simmer for 4 mins
13. Transfer the steamed kale to a large bowl, drizzle over the lemon juice and remaining oil, then toss together and season
14. Take the chicken out of the oven, transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil to rest and keep warm
15. Put the pan back over a medium heat, add 50ml water and simmer, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan
16. Stir in the whisky, cream and mustard, seasoning to taste
17. Serve the chicken with the sweet potato mash, kale and whisky cream sauce