Linguine with a cold sauce of poached chicken, tomatoes and basil

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and put them in a single
layer in a ceramic baking dish (don’t pack them tightly). Add the bay
leaves, onion, cloves, carrot, parsley and lemon slice, and pour over
enough boiling water to just cover the breasts (about 500 ml).
Place,
uncovered, in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and poke
a hole into the thickest end of a breast: it should be just cooked.
If
there’s any trace of pinkness, place the dish back in the oven for
another few minutes.
Cover with clingfilm and allow the breasts to cool
completely.
Now make the sauce.
Strip the leaves from half the parsley and basil
sprigs and chop roughly (reserve the remaining sprigs). 
Place in a
mixing bowl and add the tomatoes, spring onions, garlic, olive oil,
vinegar, Tabasco, salt, pepper and sugar.
Toss well to combine.
 Remove
the chicken from its poaching liquid and, using your fingers, tear into
pieces. Add the chicken to the bowl.
Now measure out 80 ml of the cool poaching liquid and add it to the
bowl.
Season generously with black pepper and toss again to combine.

Cover the bowl and set aside in a cool place, or in the fridge, for 30
minutes to allow the dressing to soak into the chicken. 
Cook the
linguine in plenty of salted boiling water until just al dente. 

Drain the pasta and tip it into a large platter.
Chop the remaining
basil and parsley and add it to the sauce.
Toss again, then pile the
cold sauce on top of the hot pasta.
Crumble the feta over the pasta, and
drizzle with more olive oil.
Serve immediately.

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