This recipe is based on one from Rachel Allen’s book “Rachel’s Food for Living”. It’s a very easy recipe and a lovely, simple way to cook chicken. In her recipe you add the empty lemon halves to the dish after you have squeezed out the juice. You can see a version of it here.
Chicken thighs are great for a quick, easy and hearty dinner. They are cooked and on the table in under an hour and form the basis of so many tasty recipes.
This time I adapted Rachel’s recipe slightly and decided to use a large sprig of lemon balm from the garden instead of the empty lemon halves. I also added a few shallots.
I like this version best I think. Once the chicken is cooked you thicken the sauce by boiling it for a while then either serve it separately or pour it back over the chicken, which is what I did.
I will definitely be doing it this way again.
We had ours with some fresh broad beans from the garden and some quinoa.
Ingredients
4 chicken thighs, or a pack of mixed thighs and drumsticks
2 lemons, juice only
2 tblsp (or two good long squirts) of runny honey
6 shallots, peeled
2 sprigs rosemary
1 sprig lemon balm
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° fan / gas mk 4.
Put the chicken pieces in a baking dish or roasting tin, skin side up. Add the shallots and season with salt and pepper.
Mix the lemon juice and honey together in a bowl and pour over the chicken. Add the rosemary and lemon balm and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the chicken is nicely browned and cooked through.
Drain off the liquid into a small pan and keep the chicken warm. Boil the liquid until thickened slightly. Pour back over the chicken or serve separately as a sauce.
Serves 4.
Chicken thigh perfection!!
ReplyDeleteI always forget about using lemon balm, despite the fact that it often threatens to take over the garden. This sounds lovely.
ReplyDeletePhil, it's a new plant this year, luckily contained in a trough! It does seem to have grown well in the two months since we got it, so not planting it in the garden was probably a good idea!
DeleteI am experimenting with ways of using it and have a cake in mind.
Just trying this with Wabbit Saddle... and using Pulco Citron Vert instead of lwemonz [they went into some lovely apricot jam that is now cooling on the side!]
ReplyDeleteI'll report back....
Cor, that sounds delish........
DeleteIt worked very well...
Deletet'was, in fact, wunnerful!!
Because the wabbit was thicker and bigger... gave it one hour at 175 Centipedes [non-fan]... first 30 with foil over dish... last 30 with foil removed.
Had with new potatoes and spherical courgettes from the potager.
Brilliant!
DeleteWe must try it using rabbit soon. Apart from anything else, It would be revenge for the little blighters that ate my pea plants this year........