Oil In Chicken In A Pot

Our answer

Nigella's Chicken In A Pot With Lemon And Orzo is a popular one-pot dish as it needs very little attention while it is cooking. The recipe itself only uses 1 tablespoon of olive oil (for 4-6 portions) so is probably not the source of the oil. The problem may occur if you have a chicken that has a higher proportion of fat. Free-range and organic chickens have usually lived a good part of their lives outside and tend to be leaner than more intensively reared birds. But these chickens are not always an option.

If you feel that your chicken is on the fattier side then we would suggest removing some fat from the cooking liquid in the pot before you add the orzo (at the beginning of step 8). As the chicken gently poaches in the oven, the fat should render out and float to the surface. Use a large-ish spoon to gently skim away any liquid fat that you see on the surface. Try not to remove too much liquid with the fat as you go and if necessary add a tablespoon or two of water from a freshly boiled kettle.