Comforting Lemon Chicken Bake

Yeow! The winds are changing and the mornings are getting nippy. It’s about that time that we start whipping out the comforting bakes.

One of the best things about the move into autumn and winter is the food you get to eat. Porridge in the morning, soups in the afternoon and lovely comforting stews and bakes and pies in the evenings.

This recipe for a one-pot lemon and chicken dish from Delicious Magazine caught my eye last week. I adapted it a bit to bulk up the flavours and I added a creamy mushroom sauce, to use up everything in my fridge before I went to Berlin. The result was a keeper and I know I’ll be making this or a version of it in the coming months.

One of the best things about this recipe is that there really isn’t much to it. You just gather the ingredients, whack them in a roasting dish and pop in the oven. All that’s left to do is make the mushroom sauce and wait to eat.

What you need for a Comforting Lemon Chicken Bake for 4 people

8 free-range chicken portions (use thighs and legs rather than breasts if you can. They’re much yummier)

500g of new potatoes, halved

About 80g of bacon lardons

1 lemon, cut into wedges (the original recipe uses 2 lemons but I found it to be too lemony in the end)

4 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked

A glass of dry white wine

4 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and Pepper

For the mushroom sauce

1 tablespoon of olive oil

A generous handful of the nice loveliest wild mushrooms you can get or 2 large portobello mushrooms, cut into small cubes

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 large heaped tablespoon of creme fraiche

1 sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

Heat your oven to 180C/fan 160C/Gas Mark 4.

Put the chicken pieces, new potatoes, bacon, lemon, fresh rosemary and white wine in a large roasting tin or dish. Drizzle with the 4 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Put into the oven and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, until the chicken is golden and browned. If you find your chicken isn’t as golden as you’d like, you can finish the dish under the grill for the last 5 minutes to crispen up that skin. This could make the chicken a little drier, however.

The mushroom sauce will take about 10 minutes to make, so start it when your chicken is nearly ready. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the mushrooms for 4 minutes, until starting to soften. Now add the garlic and rosemary. Cook for another 2 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked.

If you look at the chicken in the roasting dish, you’ll see there are lots of lovely juices around the grub. You’ll want to pour a good splash of that into your mushrooms, about 60ml.

Add the creme fraiche to the pan and mix well. Taste and add some salt and pepper if you think the sauce needs it.

Serve the chicken in the tray on your table with the sauce in a jug. Grab a few bowls, some cutlery, and a glass of white if you like. Serve up and enjoy your meal.