Lemon & Herb Chicken & Potato Stew

The days are getting longer and the mercury is happily sitting in double digits which can mean only one thing; spring is here! So, why not try this beautiful chicken and potato stew cooked with lemon and lots of fresh herbs.

Prep: 15-20 min

Cook: 50 mins

Difficulty Easy

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

• 800g chicken thighs
• 450g small new potatoes
• 1 large Fennel bulb
• 4 medium banana shallots
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 large lemon
• 25g butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1tsp fennel seeds
• 1tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2-3 large sprigs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• x1 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 800ml chicken stock
• 200 ml white wine
• 10g fresh chopped dill
• 10g fresh chopped tarragon
• 10 g fresh chopped mint
• 30g fresh chopped parsley
• 30g fresh chopped coriander
• 15g-20g flaked almonds
• 4 large tbsp Greek yoghurt
• salt and pepper

1. Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large casserole pan to a medium/high heat and brown the chicken thighs in batches, seasoning them with salt before they go in - be careful not to overcrowd the pan or they won’t brown, they’ll steam.
2. Set aside. Repeat this process with the halved potatoes (cut side down) and finally with the lemon wedges.
3. In your empty pan, melt butter and oil over a medium heat and add the whole spices (mustard, coriander and fennel seeds and the cinnamon stick). Once you hear the seeds start to pop, add the shallots and cook until translucent.
4. Add the minced garlic, cook for a further 4 minutes and add the wine to deglaze the pan and reduce slightly.
5. Add the thyme, bay leaves, chicken stock, salt pepper and sugar, then return the previously cooked ingredients (chicken, potatoes & lemon) back to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a low heat and simmer for 35 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and increase heat to medium to reduce for 10 minutes, or until you have desired sauce consistency. Add the majority of your chopped herb mix (reserving some for garnish) and stir into the stew - check your seasoning for salt and pepper at this point.
7. Toast the almonds over a low heat in a dry frying pan and whip the yoghurt.

Serving suggestion: I like to serve in the pan as a centrepiece to the table and add the garnish, however you can choose to serve the dish in bowls and add the yoghurt, toasted almonds and herb garnishes separately at the end.