Chicken is one of the most versatile meats for home cooks, so it’s no wonder it’s a fridge staple in most households. Its neutral flavour and range of cuts make it perfect with everything from a heavy cream sauce to zesty lemon. And it’s the latter that Nigella suggests for a simple one-pot chicken dinner.
The recipe, from ‘Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat’, serves four to six people and offers endless variations. Swap tarragon for thyme or dried mint, or substitute orzo for small pasta, barley or rice. You can even switch out a whole chicken for thighs if you prefer. Nigella describes the lemony chicken dish as “a simple one-pot dish which brings comfort and joy”.
Unlike most one-pot recipes, there’s no need for stock. Instead, Nigella calls upon a handful of ingredients to richly flavour the dish.
The natural juices from the chicken gently ooze out due to the slow-cooking method. Lemon juice and zest add a citrusy tang, while the garlic and herbs seep into the liquid.
Leeks are a must in this dish, adding a mild, sweet, and delicate onion-like essence.
One-pot chicken recipe
Ingredients
- One whole chicken, approx. 1.5kg
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- Two lemons, zest and juice
- Three fat garlic cloves, grated
- Two teaspoons of dried tarragon or thyme
- Two medium carrots, peeled and cut into batons
- Two medium leeks, cut into 2cm rounds
- Two teaspoons of sea salt flakes (or one tsp fine sea salt)
- 300g orzo
- Six tablespoons of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra to serve
How to make Nigella’s one-pot chicken
Remove all of the packaging and any string from the chicken. If you have time, leave it out of the fridge on a cutting board for about 40 minutes to let it warm up. Meanwhile, set the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
Take a large, flameproof casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid, and add the oil. Nigella says: “I use an enamelled cast-iron oval casserole 29cm/11½in long, into which the chicken fits neatly, leaving just a small space around it for the vegetables later.”
Add the chicken to the hot oil, breast-side down, and cook for three to five minutes over a high heat. The skin should be richly golden before you turn the chicken the right way up.
Remove the pan from the heat and grate in the lemon zest, aiming for the space around the chicken. Add the garlic and dried tarragon, then give it a quick stir into the oil as best you can. Scatter the vegetables around the chicken, then add the salt and squeeze in the lemon juice.
Pour in 1.5 litres of cold water, covering all but the very top of the breast, put back on a high heat and bring to the boil. Once it’s bubbling, place the lid on the pan and carefully transfer it to the oven to cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, checking that the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are soft.
Remove from the oven and add the orzo around the chicken, pushing it under the liquid and stirring gently. Return the lid to the dish and put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes, by which time the orzo should be soft and swollen.
Remove from the oven and let the casserole stand, uncovered, for 15 minutes before serving. The orzo will continue to soak up the broth as it stands.
Stir in four tablespoons of the parsley, and then sprinkle over a little more. Place a dish by the casserole, then gently pull the chicken apart with a couple of forks, removing any bones and skin that come loose into the dish.
Stir the chicken and orzo again and ladle into bowls, sprinkling with parsley as you go.