Gordon Ramsay’s chicken with butter beans, leeks and spinach

After years of working 16-hour shifts in the kitchen, feeling sluggish and lethargic - Gordon Ramsay says he's in the best shape of his life now he's hit 51. After a health check-up arranged by his wife Tana, Gordon is in the kitchen to reveal his new eating regime and inspire us all to cook our way to better health.

Taken from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Fit Food

Cooking everything together in one pan has some great advantages – all the prep work is done up front, so you can get on with other things once it’s in the oven, the flavours really come together as they cook and there is only one pan to wash up when you’re finished. It makes for a great family-friendly recipe and no arguments about who’s doing the dishes. Serve with roasted baby potatoes in their skins if weight loss isn’t a priority.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, jointed, or 2 breasts, 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks - remove the skin if you prefer1 tbsp olive oil1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally1 leek, trimmed, halved lengthways and sliced200ml dry white wine400ml chicken or vegetable stock2 thyme sprigs2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed250g baby spinach leavesSea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C / gas 4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper

• Place a large roasting tray on the hob to warm up and add the oil. Once hot, brown the chicken pieces on all sides until nicely coloured. Turn the chicken skin side up.

• Add the garlic to the tray, cut side down, then add the leeks and stir around in the oil

• Pour in the white wine and allow to bubble for 2 minutes, then add the stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom.

• Turn off the heat and add the thyme sprigs, butter beans and spinach, nestling them between the chicken pieces. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix everything together, then put the tray into the preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Give the tray a stir occasionally to make sure everything is cooking evenly.

• Remove the tray from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving in warm shallow bowls