Mary Berry’s lemon chicken is a light casserole of bone-in chicken thighs simmered in a lemony stock sauce, finished with crème fraîche and chives. It’s cooked in one frying pan on the hob, and takes just over an hour.
The recipe comes from Mary Berry’s Family Sunday Lunches (2016), where she calls it Lemon Chicken with Chives. She says she used to make it with chicken joints, but finds “most people enjoy thighs just as much.” It uses the zest and juice of two whole lemons, so the sauce is properly sharp.
The sauce is made in the same pan you browned the chicken in, and that’s where it can go wrong. Berry sprinkles flour over the softened onion, then adds hot stock and brings it to the boil “stirring all the time.” Hot stock and constant stirring are what keep the sauce smooth instead of lumpy.
Mary Berry Leek and Potato Soup Recipe
Course: Soups, Dinner, LunchCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes55
minutes365
kcal1
hour5
minutesA one-pan family casserole from Family Sunday Lunches (2016). The thighs simmer gently for up to 45 minutes, so there’s very little hands-on time. Berry serves it with mashed potato or rice.
Ingredients
25g (1oz) butter
8 chicken thighs, skinned, bone in
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, roughly chopped
25g (1oz) flour
300ml (½ pint) hot chicken stock
finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
4 tbsp full-fat crème fraîche
3 tbsp snipped fresh chives
Directions
- Brown the chicken: Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the thighs and brown all over until golden. Season with salt and pepper, then lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Make the sauce: Add the onion to the pan and fry for 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, add the hot stock and bring to the boil, stirring all the time.
- Simmer: Add the lemon rind and juice, and return the thighs to the pan. Season again and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer over a low heat for about 35 to 45 minutes, until the thighs are tender.
- Finish: Stir in the crème fraîche and nearly all the chives.
- Serve: Serve with mashed potato or rice, with the remaining chives sprinkled over.
Notes
- (AGA): Bring to the boil, cover and transfer to the simmering oven for 45 minutes.
FAQs
Can I use boneless chicken thighs?
Yes, and Berry allows for it in her headnote. If you take the bone out before cooking, she says to cut the simmering time by 10 minutes, so about 25 to 35 minutes. Bone-in thighs give the sauce more body, though, so I’d keep the bones in if you have the time.
Can I make lemon chicken ahead or freeze it?
Berry says it can be made up to a day ahead and reheated on the hob, and it “freezes well.” The trick is to hold back the crème fraîche and chives, then add them while you reheat. That keeps the chives green and the sauce fresh-tasting, rather than dull from sitting overnight.
Why does Berry use full-fat crème fraîche?
She specifies full-fat, and I wouldn’t swap it here, because the sauce is hot and sharp with lemon. Lower-fat crème fraîche is much more likely to split into grainy flecks under those conditions. Stir it in off a rolling boil, and the sauce stays glossy.
Will two lemons make the sauce too sour?
It’s tangy, but the crème fraîche added at the end softens it, and the onion and stock balance the acidity during simmering. Taste just before serving, after the crème fraîche goes in. If you love a creamier, milder chicken dish, her chicken stroganoff is the gentler choice.
What other lemon chicken dishes does Berry make?
She has several, including Spring Chicken with Lemon and Fennel in Mary Berry Cooks (2014), and Pesto Lemon Chicken in Absolute Favourites. There’s also a Lemon Chicken Risotto in Mary Berry Cooks the Perfect (2014). For another of her one-pot chicken suppers, try her country chicken casserole or paprika chicken.
