Lemon chicken
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe is adapted from The Italian Cookery Course by Katie Caldesi (Kyle Books) / Photograph by Lauren Mclean
Lemon chicken
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
565Kcal
Fat
37gr
Saturates
6gr
Carbs
11gr
Sugars
6gr
Fibre
4gr
Protein
44gr
Salt
0.6gr
Katie Caldesi
Katie Caldesi is a food writer who cooks up regional Italian food with her husband Giancarlo at their London bar and restaurant Caffè Caldesi, cookery school La Cucina Caldesi and Bray restaurant Caldesi in Campagna.
Katie Caldesi
Katie Caldesi is a food writer who cooks up regional Italian food with her husband Giancarlo at their London bar and restaurant Caffè Caldesi, cookery school La Cucina Caldesi and Bray restaurant Caldesi in Campagna.
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken pieces – a mix of thighs and drumsticks
- 50g plain flour
- 100ml sunflower oil, for frying
- pared zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 100ml white wine
For the soffritto
- 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5 small sprigs of rosemary
- 5 bay leaves
Step by step
Get ahead
Make up to 2 days ahead; chill
and reheat (covered) at 180°C, fan 160°C,
gas 4, for 45 minutes-1 hour or until piping hot. It freezes well, too.
- Heat the oil for the soffritto in a large casserole (or deep, lidded frying pan) and fry all the soffritto ingredients together for 15 minutes, uncovered, until soft. Meanwhile, trim off any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then season all the chicken pieces, coat them in the flour. Tap off any excess and set aside.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a separate pan and fry the chicken pieces over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. When the soffritto is soft and the chicken pieces are golden brown on all sides, transfer the chicken to the casserole using a slotted spoon.
- Drizzle the lemon juice over the chicken and add the pared zest to the casserole, too. Stir to combine, then add the wine and let it bubble for a couple of minutes until you can no longer smell the alcohol.
- Add 500ml water, bring to the boil, then cover with the lid and cook over a low heat for about 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, stirring occasionally to ensure the chicken doesn't stick to the pan. If there is too much oil for your liking, allow the juices to settle before skimming the excess oil off the top with a spoon before serving.
Chef quote
Chicken and lemon always make a wonderful combination. The soffritto – a chopped mix of celery, carrot and onions – forms the base of the dish. This very easy recipe makes a great weekend supper as it will sit happily on the hob until you are ready to serve it – so there's no need to worry about precise timings. Serve with Parmesan mash and wilted spinach.
