Peel the **carrot**, remove the top and bottom and then chop into roughly ½cm cubes. Make them as small as you can! Chop the **celery** into tiny cubes too. Remove the root and dark green tops from the **leek** and slice into ½cm rounds. Halve the **red chilli** lengthways, remove the seeds and finely chop as much as you dare!

Pinch the top of each **thyme** stalk in one hand and run thumb and index finger of the other downwards to strip off the **leaves**. Pick the **sage leaves** from their stalks and roughly chop. (Discard the stalks from both herbs.)

Heat a splash of **olive oil** in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the **carrot**, **celery**, **leek**, **chilli**, **thyme** and **sage**. Season with a pinch of salt and cook gently until soft, about 8 mins. * **TIP** *: Turn the heat down if the ingredients start to brown.

Place each **chicken breast** between two sheets of clingfilm. Whack with the bottom of a saucepan until just under 1cm thick all over. Heat a splash of **oil** in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the **chicken**, skin-side down, and cook for around 5-6 mins on each side. Season with a pinch of **salt** and **black pepper** whilst cooking. * **TIP** *: The chicken is cooked when it is no longer pink in the middle.

Thoroughly rinse and drain the **lentils** in a sieve. Add them to the pan of veggies with a splash of **water**, the **chicken stock pot** and the **crème fraîche**. Add a few grinds of **black pepper** (taste and add more if needed). Stir well and heat through until the **lentils** are piping hot.

Spoon the **spicy lentils** onto plates and top with your **pan-fried chicken**. Enjoy!