Green chicken and lentils
- Portion size: Serves 4
- Hands-on time 25 min
- Difficulty: easy
Whizzed up watercress, spinach and dill provide a verdant green sauce for crispy skin chicken thighs, nutty lentils and charred asparagus in this midweek meal recipe.
Chicken thighs with curried leeks and lentils is another easy weeknight winner.
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Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 250g asparagus, any very woody ends trimmed (save them for stock in the freezer)
- 8 free-range chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 80g watercress
- 100g young leaf spinach
- 20g dill
- 1 small green chilli, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
- 200ml chicken stock
- 2 x 400g tins green lentils, drained and rinsed
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Method
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and cook for a few minutes on each side until charred but not completely cooked. Use tongs to lift onto a plate.
- Add the chicken to the pan, skin-side down. Cook for about 8 minutes until the skin is really crisp and golden. Turn the chicken over and cook for 2 more minutes, then lift onto another plate (you may need to do this in batches).
- Meanwhile, put the watercress, spinach, most of the dill, the chilli, garlic, lemon zest and stock in a blender and whizz until smooth.
- Add the lentils to the empty chicken pan and stir in the green sauce. Nestle in the chicken skin-side up so it’s mostly submerged and simmer gently for 15 20 minutes or until cooked through. Add the asparagus and lemon juice and cook for another minute, then serve with the reserved dill scattered over.
Nutrition
- 543kcals Calories
- 24g (6.1g saturated) Fat
- 44g Protein
- 31g (2.3g sugars) Carbs
- 11g Fibre
- 1.2g Salt
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