Derval O'Rourke: Expectations, and my Caprese Chicken recipe

Derval O'Rourke's Caprese Chicken

As a child, I learned very young that achievement gave me a very positive sense of self, and confidence to bring into my day-to-day life. 

I was a very sporty child and the child that you saw winning medals, trophies and having my picture in the paper. 

As an adult, I went on to be a professional athlete for 12 years which meant that high-level achievement was still very much the focus and oftentimes the one thing that made me feel good, the identity I could hold onto. 

While I feel fortunate to have had that experience there is also a reality around attaching too much to achievement, weight and pressure that comes with it. 

This week I will chat about my experience with feeling content without needing to feel the ‘best’ at anything and I will chat to psychologist Dr Colman Noctor about his nuggets of advice on this. 

In recipes, I’ll share a delicious one-pot chicken caprese recipe.

Derval O'Rourke.

In my adult life I have had many titles — professional athlete, author, TV pundit, entrepreneur, columnist — and each of these has brought a level of expectation to perform at a really high level, and I’ve put myself under pressure to ensure I am my very best at them. 

I’ve rarely given myself the space to simply be average. 

But in recent years I’ve had to look at how I approach all aspects of my life and start to learn to reduce that pressure I put on myself. It’s simply not realistic. 

Let’s look at a few points about the struggle to find contentment and what we can do to help ourselves:

Rising Expectations

Now more than ever we live in a society where we compare ourselves to others. 

Whether it is popping on to Facebook, Tik Tok or Instagram, and seeing people who seem to be nailing aspects of their lives that you feel you are struggling with. 

It might be seeing people at work or friends that have the ‘success’ you feel you want. Dr Noctor’s take on this is “There is no shortage of people telling you what you should do”.

“However, it’s important to be aware that no two people are the same and what works well for one person may need to be altered to satisfy your goals. When we hear about ‘recipe for success’ stories, they tend to be extreme.” 

The lesson here is to be cautious about what your expectations are and set them to suit you and your life.

Intensity versus consistency

During my athletics career, I had a very specific goal of trying to be my absolute best for one day a year at a major championship: it was "go hard or go home". 

This approach gave me the best chance to win medals but that approach does not work for my general health and fitness. 

After I retired from athletics I had to learn that being average and aiming for consistency was far more beneficial long term than approaching fitness with an intense routine.

“While the notion of intensity is attractive, the success rates associated with consistency are much better,” Dr Noctor says. 

“While intensity can be gratifying, when it comes to fulfilment, consistency is your best friend.”

We all have a tendency to go towards the exciting pull of dramatic change particularly when you are feeling a little stuck in life. But leaning into moderation is a far greater superpower. A quote I always remind myself of is ‘comparison is the thief of joy’.

Dr Colman Noctor has recently published his second book; The 4 to 7 Zone. This is a brilliant tool for anyone looking to support their goal of contentment in their day-to-day lives.

Caprese Chicken

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

Derval O'Rourke's one-pot chicken caprese recipe.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts*

• 50g plain flour, use gluten free if necessary

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs

• 180 ml vegetable or chicken stock**

• 4 tbsp green pesto

• 4 large slices buffalo mozzarella

• 4 slices of tomato

• 200g cherry / baby plum tomatoes

• Fresh basil to garnish

• *I used 5 because they were a little small

• **You can use white wine to replace the stock for a little more indulgence

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (350°F).

2. Mix together the flour, salt, and dried Italian herbs on a rimmed plate or white bottomed bowl.

3. One at a time, dredge the chicken breasts in the flour. Place on a plate.

4. Heat oil in an oven safe pan / casserole dish, over a medium heat.

5. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side.

6. Add the stock (or wine) to the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Top each chicken breast with a spoonful of pesto, a slice of mozzarella and finally a slice of tomato.

8. Arrange the cherry / plum tomatoes around the chicken.

9. Place the dish into the oven for 15 minutes.

10. Serve the chicken garnish with fresh basil and some extra black pepper.

11. Rice, pasta, baby potatoes or even some sourdough bread work well with this dish. It’s also delicious just as it is.