Poached Chicken With Lardons and Lentils
by Nigella. Featured in KITCHENIntroduction
Sometimes we just need the sort of food that comforts and bolsters and makes us feel safe and protected. This is that food. I'm a great believer in cooking properly when eating alone, and not just out of greed, and the need for deliciousness, both of which are important, but because I also firmly believe it to be a Good Thing: the succour that comes from the self can be very sustaining.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Sometimes we just need the sort of food that comforts and bolsters and makes us feel safe and protected. This is that food. I'm a great believer in cooking properly when eating alone, and not just out of greed, and the need for deliciousness, both of which are important, but because I also firmly believe it to be a Good Thing: the succour that comes from the self can be very sustaining.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Serves: 1
- 2 x 15ml tablespoons regular olive oil
- 1 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
- 100 grams smoked lardons or pancetta or diced smoked streaky bacon
- 1 carrot (peeled and halved lengthwise, and roughly chopped)
- 1 leek (cleaned, trimmed and halved lengthwise, and roughly chopped)
- 3 x 15ml tablespoons chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried mint
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 125 grams puy lentils
- 1 teaspoon English mustard (from a jar)
- 1 chicken supreme (i.e., a skinned breast with peg bone in) or 2 chicken thighs, with skin off but bone left in
- 500 millilitres water
- salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons regular olive oil
- 1 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
- 4 ounces smoked lardons or pancetta or diced smoked streaky bacon
- 1 carrot (peeled and halved lengthwise, and roughly chopped)
- 1 leek (cleaned, trimmed and halved lengthwise, and roughly chopped)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh italian parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried mint
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- ¾ cup puy lentils
- 1 teaspoon English mustard (from a jar)
- 1 chicken supreme (i.e., a skinned breast with peg bone in) or 2 chicken thighs, with skin off but bone left in
- 2 cups water
- salt (to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Method
- Fry the lardons, carrot, leek, parsley, mint and lemon zest in the oil for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently, in a smallish, heavy-based pan (big enough to lay 1 chicken breast in) that has a lid.
- Add the minced garlic, and then stir in the lentils and cook for another minute, before adding the yellow gloop of mustard and stir that in, too.
- Sit the chicken on top of everything in the pan, and add the water. Bring to the boil, put on a lid and simmer very, very gently for 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the lentils are tender. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- You can eat now, but everything is at its most tender best made in advance and reheated. I let it cool in the pan with the lid off, but for no longer than 1 hour, then put the lid back on and stash the pan in the fridge. Later, I warm it in the pan with the lid on, until everything's piping hot again. Why add to the washing up?
- Fry the lardons, carrot, leek, parsley, mint and lemon zest in the oil for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently, in a smallish, heavy-based pan (big enough to lay 1 chicken breast in) that has a lid.
- Add the minced garlic, and then stir in the lentils and cook for another minute, before adding the yellow gloop of mustard and stir that in, too.
- Sit the chicken on top of everything in the pan, and add the water. Bring to the boil, put on a lid and simmer very, very gently for 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the lentils are tender. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- You can eat now, but everything is at its most tender best made in advance and reheated. I let it cool in the pan with the lid off, but for no longer than 1 hour, then put the lid back on and stash the pan in the fridge. Later, I warm it in the pan with the lid on, until everything's piping hot again. Why add to the washing up?
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD:
Let it cool and refrigerate as soon as possible (within 1 hour), then reheat, within 1-2 days, as directed in the recipe until piping hot right through.
MAKE AHEAD:
Let it cool and refrigerate as soon as possible (within 1 hour), then reheat, within 1-2 days, as directed in the recipe until piping hot right through.
Tell us what you think
Thank you {% member.data['first-name'] %}.
Explore more recipesYour comment has been submitted.
What 1 Other has said
-
Posted by Mrs_Lovett on 21st February 2021
Show more commentsThe flavours here are simply knockout. I made it with thighs, followed the recipe to a t apart from adding more mustard. We ate half of it the day after cooking and it was so good!