Comfort Food at Its Best: Nigella Lawson’s Simple One-Pot Chicken Recipe
A family favourite, this is a simple one-pot dish which brings comfort and joy, and it is my pleasure to share that with you. – Nigella Lawson, as quoted in the Liverpool Echo.
The Liverpool Echo reports that renowned chef Nigella Lawson has shared her recipe for a hearty and comforting one-pot chicken dish that serves four to six people. The recipe, which was originally published on the BBC Food website, is a ‘family favourite’ that brings comfort and joy to those who try it.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Nigella’s chicken in a pot with lemon and orzo recipe takes between 30 to 60 minutes to prepare and between one to two hours to cook. The dish is egg-free, nut-free, and pregnancy-friendly, making it an excellent option for families with diverse dietary needs.
To make this simple yet satisfying dish, begin by untrussing a whole chicken weighing approximately 1.5kg and removing all the string. If time allows, leave it on a board for 40 minutes or so to lose its chill. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
As Nigella Lawson notes in the recipe, "A family favourite, this is a simple one-pot dish which brings comfort and joy, and it is my pleasure to share that with you." The Liverpool Echo reports that the recipe involves heating one tablespoon of olive oil in a large flameproof casserole with a tightly fitting lid. Place the chicken in the hot oil, breast-side down, and cook for three to five minutes over a high heat until the skin is richly golden. Then turn the chicken the right way up.
The Liverpool Echo states that the next step is to take the pan off the heat and, aiming for the space around the chicken, grate in the zest of two lemons, add three fat grated cloves of garlic and two teaspoons of dried tarragon (or thyme) and give a quick stir into the oil as best you can.
The recipe, as reported by the Liverpool Echo, involves scattering the following vegetables around the chicken:
- Two medium carrots, peeled and cut into batons
- Two medium leeks, cut into 2cm rounds
Follow this with two teaspoons of sea salt flakes and half a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes (optional), and squeeze in the juice from the two lemons you zested earlier. Pour in 1.5 litres 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, clamp on the lid and carefully transfer to the oven to cook for one hour and 15 minutes, though check to make sure the chicken is all but cooked through and the carrots soft.
The Liverpool Echo notes that after cooking, remove the pot from the oven and add 300g orzo all around the chicken, pushing it under the liquid and giving it a stir as far as you can manage in the restricted space. Put the lid back on and return the casserole to the oven for another 15 minutes, by which time the orzo should be soft and swollen.
As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Nigella Lawson’s recipe involves removing the casserole from the oven and letting it stand, uncovered, for 15 minutes before serving. The orzo will continue to soak up the broth as it stands. Stir in four tablespoons of chopped flat-leaf parsley, and then sprinkle over a little more.
The Liverpool Echo reports that Nigella Lawson has published several best-selling cookery books, many alongside a television series, and has become nationally known for her dishes. After studying Medieval and Modern Languages at Oxford, she went on to work as a publisher, becoming deputy literary editor of The Sunday Times. She then pursued a successful career as a freelance journalist, during which time her work was published in significant culinary and lifestyle magazines around the world.
The Liverpool Echo notes that Nigella was voted author of the year at the 2001 British Book Awards. In 2001 she was awarded – but turned down – an OBE from Queen Elizabeth for services to journalism and cookery.
For more recipes and cooking ideas, visit the Liverpool Echo’s food and drink section.
