Nigellas Sicilian Chicken
(from foodiecrum’s recipe box)
Source: Nigella Lawson
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Serves 4 people
Categories: Main
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 100ml olive oil
- 1 chicken (approx. 2-2.25kg, skinned and jointed into 8 pieces)*
- Maldon salt and black pepper
- 250ml chicken stock (fake is fine)
- 125ml dry white wine
- 125ml red wine vinegar
- juice of half a lemon
- handful of fresh parsley, chopped, plus extra for sprinkling over at the end
- small handful fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus extra for sprinkling over at the end
- 2 large tomatoes
Directions
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Finely chop the onion and fry it gently, with some salt sprinkled over to stop it catching, in 4 TBSP (60ml – UK tbsps here) of the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan for about 5 minutes, until it’s softened but not browned.
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Arrange the chicken pieces over the onion and season well with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken stock, wine, vinegar and lemon juice then sprinkle the parsley and basil over the top. Bring the pan to the boil and then cover and simmer gently for about 45 minutes.
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Remove the lid and simmer away for about another 15 minutes, by which time the liquid should have reduced a little and the chicken itself be well cooked.
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Blanch the tomatoes by putting them in a bowl and pouring over some boiling water from a kettle. Leave them there for 3 minutes or so then tumble them out, skin them, quarter them, remove the viscous glob of seeds and roughly chop the pink-red flesh. Mix them in a small bowl along with the remaining olive oil and some salt and pepper. I should admit here that I sometimes don’t bother to blanch and peel the tomatoes, simply just deseed and chop them.
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en the chicken is ready, remove the pieces to a large shallow bowl and, if you want the sauce any thicker, let it bubble away over a high heat to reduce further. If you’ve taken the blanched, peeled tomato route, then stir the tomato mixture into the sauce and pour it over the chicken waiting in the dish. If you’ve simply chopped the unpeeled tomatoes, then first pour the sauce over the chicken and then tumble the tomatoes around and, scantily, on top. Just before serving – which could be now or a whole lot later – sprinkle over a little more parsley and basil. Serves 4.