Chicken in a pot with lemon and rice
Chicken in a pot with lemon & rice is a nourishing one-pot family meal. Fall-off-the-bone tender meat in a rich broth. Ugly-delicious!
Servings: 4
Equipment
- large heavy-based lidded casserole pot the pot needs to be big enough to take the whole chicken, with space around for the other ingredients.
- (optional) cheesecloth (or muslin) large enough to create a bag for the chicken. The chicken in this dish ends up so tender, it will easily fall off the bone. The cheesecloth keeps the chicken together but won’t stop the flavours in the pot melding.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken (1.5-1.7kg)
- olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 3 medium carrots
- 40 g celery (about ¾ stick – feel free to add more if you're not following a low FODMAP diet)
- cold water
- 200 g basmati rice
- 2 big handfuls kale leaves (about 75g)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven- to 160°C
- Brown Chicken – preheat the pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Pat the breast side (the rounded side) of the chicken well with paper towel. Rub this side of the chicken with another tablespoon of oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Place the chicken breast side down in the pot to deeply colour the skin, around 5 minutes. Take the pot off the heat.1 chickenolive oil
- Cheesecloth Sling – lay a sheet of cheesecloth over a plate with sides. Gently lift out the chicken with tongs, being careful not to pierce the skin. Place on top of the cheesecloth with the browned breast side uppermost.
- Lemon, Oregano, Salt & Chilli – zest the lemon and add the zest to the pot. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the pot, followed by the juiced lemon halves. Add the oregano, salt and chilli flakes. Stir well to combine.1 lemon2 teaspoons dried oregano1 ½ teaspoons salt¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- Cube Vegetables – peel and cube the carrots. Cube the celery. Add carrots and celery to the pot and stir everything through. Create space for the chicken by moving the veg to the sides of the pot.3 medium carrots40 g celery
- Add Chicken - gather up the edges of the cheesecloth to lift the chicken and lower it into the pot. Leave the cheesecloth edges piled on top of the chicken.
- Water – pour in enough water to cover all but the very top of the chicken breast and legs. This will be about 1 ½ litres but will depend on the size of your pot.cold water
- Stove then Oven - put the pot back on the stovetop over high heat and bring to a simmer. Put a sheet of foil over the top and clamp on the lid. Transfer to the oven to cook for 1 ½ hours. You can prep the rice and kale towards the end of this time and set them aside until needed.
- Prep Rice & Kale – Rinse the rice in a sieve under running water until the water runs clear. Finely shred the kale.200 g basmati rice2 big handfuls kale leaves
- Add Rice & Kale – take the pot out of the oven and set over medium heat on the stove top. Take off the lid and distribute the kale and rice around the outside of the chicken. Push them down into the liquid. Bring the liquid back to a simmer, clamp the lid back on and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Without removing the lid, take the pot out of the oven.
- Serve – get a large shallow bowl. Use the cheesecloth sling to lift the chicken out and transfer to the bowl. Open out the cheesecloth to expose the chicken. Portion out the rice/veg from the pot with some chicken (either whole joints or shredded). You can discard the lemon halves and chicken skin.
Notes
Leftovers
You can refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge if frozen before reheating. Reheat in the microwave or a saucepan over medium heat until piping hot.