Spring Chicken One Pot Recipes

EASY ONE-POT CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Put the kettle on. Fry 8 bone-in chicken thighs in 1 tbsp oil in a casserole dish or wide pan with a lid to quickly brown.
• Stir in the whites of 5 spring onions with 2 tbsp plain flour and 2 chicken stock cubes until the flour disappears, then gradually stir in 750ml hot water from the kettle.
• Throw in 2 large carrots, in batons and 400g new potatoes, bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 mins.
• Take off the lid and simmer for 15 mins more, then throw in 200g peas for another 5 mins.
• Season, stir in 1 tbsp grainy mustard, the green spring onion bits, a small handful of fresh soft herbs and some seasoning.

SPRING ONE-POT ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove any string from the chicken and sit in a large roasting tin or a baking dish, with plenty of space around it.
• Mash 2 tbsp of the mascarpone with the lemon zest, 1 tbsp of the tarragon and some seasoning. Slip your hand beneath the chicken skin to pull it away from the meat, then spread the mixture beneath the skin in a thin layer. Spoon another 3 tbsp mascarpone into the cavity of the chicken, to melt in with the roasting juices and enrich the sauce later on. Rub 2 tbsp olive oil into the skin, season well with sea salt, then loosely tie the legs together with butcher's string. Roast for 20 mins.
• Aarrange the potatoes and the garlic around the chicken, drizzle over another 1 tbsp oil and cook for another 30 mins.
• Toss the radishes and whole spring onions into the dish, in and around the potatoes, coating everything in the fat, then roast for another 25 mins. The potatoes and radishes will be golden and tender, and the chicken should be cooked through. Remove the chicken from the tin, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest.
• Pour off or spoon away the excess oil from the tin. Stir the remaining mascarpone (about 150g) with the stock in a jug until lump-free, then pour into the tin and bubble on the hob for few minutes, stirring to coat the potatoes and veg. Squeeze over some lemon juice and season.
• Stir in the peas, spring greens and most of the remaining tarragon, and bubble for a few more minutes until bright green. Sit the chicken back in the middle of the tin to serve and scatter over the reserved tarragon.

SPRING CHICKEN ONE-POT

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan with a lid. Season the chicken and brown all over. Remove the chicken to a plate and cook the onion and bacon for 5 mins until softened and lightly coloured.
• Return the chicken to the pan, and add the remaining ingredients, except the crème fraîche and pesto, along with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil, then cover and gently simmer for 30-40 mins until the potatoes are tender and chicken cooked through.
• Stir in the crème fraîche and pesto. Serve with some crusty bread for mopping up the sauce, if you like.

SPRING CHICKEN IN A POT

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan. Add the onion, gently fry for 5 mins until softened, add the chicken, then fry until lightly coloured. Add the potatoes, stock and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, then bring to the boil. Cover, then simmer for 30 mins until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked. Can be frozen at this point.
• Add the broccoli, spring greens, petit pois and spring onions, stir well, then return to the boil. Cover, then cook for 5 mins more, stir in the pesto and heat through.

SPRING CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• Season the chicken thighs with some salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and fry the chicken for 3-4 mins on each side until lightly golden, then transfer to a plate. Add the bacon to the pan and fry for 5 mins until golden. Tip in the leeks and fry for another 5 mins.
• Sprinkle the flour over the leeks and bacon, and stir until combined. Add the wine, if using, and bubble for a few minutes, then add the stock and stir well. Slice the chicken and return it to the pan - don't worry if it's not fully cooked through at this point, it will finish cooking in the oven.
• Stir in the crème fraîche, peas, 1 tbsp mustard and the tarragon, and bubble for a few minutes until thick and saucy. Add a splash more stock or water if it seems too thick Remove the pie filling from the heat. Whisk the remaining ½ tbsp mustard with the egg in a bowl.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Spoon the filling into a pie dish with a lip and use some of the egg mix to brush the sides of the dish. Unroll the pastry over the top of the pie and crimp the edges against the sides of the dish, then cut away any excess with a knife. Will keep frozen, well covered, for up to three months.
• Brush the remaining egg glaze over the pie and make a small steam hole in the middle. Bake for 40 mins until golden and puffed. Serve with buttered new potatoes and steamed greens or carrots, if you like.