• Pigeoncottagekitchen on March 20, 2015

  I went to Diana's talk and book signing at Toppings Books in Ely. One of the Toppings team had cooked a selection of things from the book so we all got a taster plate and a glass of wine - delicious! Salad of chicken, cherries and watercress with creamy tarragon dressing was lovely, can't wait to make that at home.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Spanish supper: chicken, morcilla and sherry

  • grindabod on November 01, 2017

    Chicken and black pudding: a brilliant combination.

  • Avocet on May 31, 2020

    We liked this a lot. A couple of changes I'll make next time: more morcilla sausage and substitute walnuts for the pine nuts. The recipe calls for eight slices of morcilla sausage, but no weight value. I used four ounces, but next time I'll at least double that. The flavor of the pine nuts was pretty muted. Both Mr. A and I thought walnuts would complement the other flavors more.

• Mexican chicken and pumpkin with pepita pesto

  • lilham on July 21, 2015

    I substituted basil for coriander in the pesto. This resulted in a pesto that's much lighter than the normal basil parmesan version. Very delicious with the chicken.

  • Melanie on July 27, 2016

    This was ok but I'm unlikely to repeat - the flavour combination wasn't quite right for me.

  • e_ballad on December 04, 2016

    I normally adhere to "whatever Diana instructs, I will obey", but I think next time around I will reduce down the amount of olive oil in the pesto as it made it a very thin sauce, almost like a thick flavoured oil, rather than a pesto per se. I'd also be more careful about draining the chicken from the marinade as the pumpkin ended up a bit soggy on the base. Otherwise, this was a hit at ours.

  • luke_i8msqc on February 11, 2026

    This was lovely!

• Saltimbocca

  • Pamsy on January 09, 2025

    The large amount of Marsala gives lots of lovely sauce, to which I added 50mls cream. Absolutely yummy.

• Baked chicken with tarragon and Dijon mustard

  • Silverscreensuppers on August 09, 2016

    I thought this was absolutely delicious! When I was making it I thought there might be way too much mustard, but when cooked, it didn't taste mustardy at all. Lovely!

  • Kfaber on December 10, 2016

    Kids and I loved this chicken recipe - very flavorful and satisfying

  • TrishaCP on May 10, 2017

    This is tasty. I used boneless skinless breasts cooked for about 30 minutes (they were franken-breast sized) and chives since I didn't have tarragon. I adore tarragon so I really look forward to using it next time. The mustard was a tad strong for me, but I had a brand new fresh bottle. If you are suspicious of mustard just go a tad lighter.

  • mirsaidi007 on November 12, 2018

    This was delicious! Used a whole chicken cut into 8 parts. Because the chicken stayed relatively moist I would think one could use just bone-in breasts and it would be great. The tarragon was very pronounced in the leftovers, which was fine for me, but was a bit much for my husband.

  • eliza on June 08, 2019

    A very easy recipe that makes a tasty chicken dish that was done in just over 30 minutes. I didn't have any tarragon so I used some dill from my garden. Leftovers heated up well the next day too. Will definitely repeat.

  • hillsboroks on September 10, 2019

    This dish is so deceptively simple but oh so quick and delicious! I have lots of fresh tarragon in my herb garden right now so this seemed like the perfect time to try this. I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and just removed the skin. My husband loves chicken skin so after I placed the thighs in my LeCreuset braising pan I put the skin in along one side and spread a little of the tarragon mustard butter on them as well. They turned out nice and crispy for him and the rest of the chicken was heavenly.

  • kari500 on June 18, 2025

    Easy, delicious. Used panko. Set butter out early in day.

• Cumin and turmeric roast chicken with smashed avocado and corn cakes

  • Fiona on April 15, 2015

    This is the first recipe I've made from this book - I hope the others are as good. Really simple to do and delicious flavours. Uses lots of spices but nothing is overpowering. It went beautifully with the smashed avocados. Instead of the corn cakes I served it with Ottolenghi's Sweet Potato Cakes from Plenty, which is a family favorite. I'll try it with the corn cakes next time.

  • danielh7645 on October 06, 2015

    This was also the first recipe I made from this book and loved it. Very simple and the fresh taste of the avocado works so well with the sweet corn cakes and spicy chicken. Fairly healthy too.

  • paulabee on March 29, 2016

    Not my favorite- I just didn't love the flavor of this spice paste. Based on what was in my cupboard, I did end up using regular sweet paprika rather than the hot paprika that was called for, so perhaps my substitution was to blame. It was great as leftovers in the pumpkin laksa recipe in the same book though, but I will probably not make this chicken again, although the corn cakes were excellent!

  • Silverscreensuppers on August 09, 2016

    How funny, I'm the third person that made this as the first recipe from Diana's lovely book. I thought this was GREAT. The flavours complimented each other perfectly and it was a fun dish to cook with a friend. I really liked the fact I didn't have to think about what to have with the chicken - it's a whole menu on one page - brilliant!

  • sjwill82 on January 29, 2018

    The corn cakes were a little bland for my tastes but I did omit half the chilli as Anders doesn't like too much heat. Next time I would check for seasoning. Chicken tasted good but the next time I will apply a thinner layer of the butter as it seemed to go a bit 'cakey' Loved the avocado, the addition of sherry vinegar is different from my usual smashed avocado and it give it a real punch. Served corn cake batter leftovers with bacon and egg for brunch the next day.

  • TrishaCP on September 02, 2018

    Overall, we enjoyed this dish. The corn cakes were the best part- they definitely need salt, and are best very well browned. (I used a red and a green serrano, and seeded, the heat was negligible. I would definitely use seeds next time.) The avocado was good too- the sherry vinegar was unusual to me with these types of flavors, but not unpleasant. I felt like I didn't like the taste of the mustard in the chicken here- I was dubious about it working with these types of flavors and I should have trusted my gut and omitted it. I would repeat this but with a different spice rub for the chicken.

  • angrygreycat on October 25, 2018

    Made this for dinner tonight. Corn cakes definitely need salt and need to be cooked until very brown. Very easy and interesting to make as a combination. We enjoyed it and would have it again.

  • Pamsy on November 09, 2019

    Not too sure what to write as unlike other reviewers, I wasn't over the moon with this dish! AVOCADO - We're just not keen on smashed avocado, both felt that my usual avocado, chilli, tomato, coriander Salsa is much better, in every way! CORN CAKES - These were okay, needs lots of seasoning as noted by others. Easy to put together and quickish to cook. I also used the leftover batter the next day with fried eggs and grilled bacon for breakfast which made for a nice change. TURMERIC ROAST CHICKEN - I used a whole chicken but feel that I'd have enjoyed the dish much more if I'd used thighs. As I don't like English mustard I reduced that by 2/3 and subbed with French wholegrain which was fine. The spice paste was okay, nothing special. Overall this was quite a dry dish which chicken thighs would improve. I may make once more with alterations to see if it is any better. On the plate it wasn't an attractive looking dish but the Salsa would definitely brighten it up.

  • ALawson25 on June 22, 2021

    Another first recipe for the book, we thought it was tasty and comforting for a weeknight meal, though maybe not a recipe I'd crave in future. Used boneless thighs and cooked for less time, and used slightly less mustard as per the other comments. I think I would prefer my normal guacamole recipe to the creamy avocado with this. Fritters were really good, I added lots of salt.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    Loved this dish, have made it several times!

  • hillsboroks on August 02, 2025

    We really enjoyed this dish. I was cooking for two people who aren’t into really hot spices so I made some adjustments but we loved the results. I used 1/2 the spice amounts and just had regular paprika and used the full amount of mustard but I only had Dijon for the chicken paste. I baked the full amount of chicken, only cooked half the corn cake batter and made 1/2 the avocado sauce so that I could just reheat the chicken the following night, cook the rest of the corn cakes and make another half batch of avocado sauce fresh. I agree with the others that the corn cakes needed more salt. I put in 1/4 teaspoon but would use 1/2 teaspoon next time.

• Chicken with prunes and red wine

  • hillsboroks on June 12, 2017

    This is one of those recipes you stumble into because you happen to have all the ingredients on hand and then find that you have made a wonderful flavor discovery. The chicken, caramelized onions, red wine, Brandy, herbs and garlic combine to deliver a lovely, flavor-packed dish that is fast and easy enough for a weeknight but would also be lovely to serve to guests. We will definitely be making this again.

  • hillsboroks on January 14, 2019

    This year I discovered how truly wonderful this recipe is. My husband is a duck hunter and is always after me to cook the ducks he brings home but wild duck is pretty easy to ruin if you don't cook it just right. Also I do not like the gamey flavor of wild duck. But with this recipe we have reached a marvelous compromise. I use half the amount of chicken called for and one cut up wild duck. I don't start browning the duck until the skin side of the chicken is turned over. This prevents some of the overcooking problem I often run into with these ducks. The rich flavors of the sauce and other ingredients offset the gamey flavor and we are both happy with result. This would probably work with other game birds too. The duck was a skin-on duck that had been carefully plucked, paraffined and soaked overnight in a saltwater brine to remove as much blood as possible.

  • senzler on January 05, 2026

    This was truly wonderful and easy.

• Thai chicken burgers with Asian slaw

  • Foodycat on April 15, 2015

    I used skinless, boneless chicken thighs and ran them through the mincer with the aromatics, then mixed in the breadcrumbs and other seasonings by hand. Really delicious.

  • raybun on November 13, 2016

    These were delicious, everybody asked me to make them again. I added a (mild) green finger chilli to the mix and didn't get around to making the slaw. 5*

  • sarahj22 on March 07, 2018

    Yum! I made quite a few changes to this recipe so not entirely true to the original. I used minced turkey instead of chicken and omitted the lime zest for the burgers: they were very tasty on their own, but I do think the accompaniments really improved the dish. I didn't do the full slaw but made the sauce for it and added some grated carrot, which turned out as a lovely soft pickle. The suggested accompaniment of mayo mixed with lime juice, ginger and garlic was also delicious: DH also recommends lots of pickled ginger but we didn't have any so left it out. We served these with salad and brown rice as advised which hit the spot flavour-wise, but both of us agreed that if serving with rice again (rather than buns) we'd prefer the mix rolled into meatballs rather than burger patties.

  • mpo on April 30, 2021

    These were very flavorful. I used 1/2 cup panko for the breadcrumbs, and lemongrass paste for the stalk. Very much enjoyed.

  • jhallen on May 27, 2021

    These were really good. My slaw was way spicy but that was just a function of the pepper I chose to use.

• Roast chicken, garlic and potatoes in the pan with watercress, Cashel blue and walnut butter

  • RosieB on May 14, 2015

    This recipe was easy and really tasty. Be warned, there is a lot of butter in this dish but the blue cheese and walnuts give the dish a really tasty crunch. The potatoes are delicious.

  • hillsboroks on February 16, 2021

    This was a pretty easy way to have a delicious supper midweek. I had everything on hand except the watercress so I skipped that and the final dish was very good. Whatever you do don't skip the butter with the blue cheese and walnuts. That pat of flavored butter on top of the chicken really makes this special.

  • Pinkrupee on March 26, 2022

    Very easy recipe where hardly any effort results in a big amount of deliciousness. I used chicken supremes, roasting the potatoes for 15 minutes or so in advance of putting the chicken in. We didn't use all of the butter/blue cheese mix - next time i'd reduce the amount by about a third - but it is essential...!

  • jenmacgregor18 on April 06, 2023

    This was easy and turned out great. And it's pretty hands-off, which is lovely, especially on a weeknight. I can never find good watercress, so I subbed in 1/2 cup chopped green onions in the blue cheese walnut butter. And I roasted it all in a 1/2 sheet pan because it would have been too crowded otherwise. I also added another tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. I agree with the others that the blue cheese butter is a must. It really elevates the dish.

• Vietnamese lemon grass and chilli chicken

  • Foodycat on May 06, 2015

    Very tasty, very simple.

  • FJT on March 14, 2016

    Delicious and so easy to make; not least because I used lemongrass paste rather than chopping the real thing (lemongrass can be hard to find in the shops here).

  • JoanN on March 14, 2016

    Flavors were good, but if you follow her directions chicken will be overcooked. Not in a hurry to make this again.

  • TrishaCP on March 19, 2016

    Like others have said, very easy and very good. I put it in the marinade overnight and it was very easy to finish it up after work on a weeknight. I followed her cooking times for the chicken and didn't have problems, but I used thigh meat- the timing as written would have ruined breast meat though (which I think is listed as an acceptable option).

  • Kduncan on December 19, 2018

    Chicken did not brown as well as in the picture when I cooked this. Flavors were good, but I feel there are much better recipes in this book.

  • purrviciouz on May 17, 2020

    The chicken didn't brown like in the picture. If making again then I would try browning on medium-high instead of medium and be sure to shake as much marinade as possible off to reduce liquid. This was pretty tasty and husband enjoyed it but it wasn't what I was anticipating.

  • ebalk02 on August 10, 2020

    Definitely tasty and easy to make, but nothing to write home about. Like purrviciouz said, the chicken didn't brown like in the picture.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    Be careful not to overcook the chicken. This was absolutely delicious.

• Puerto Rican chicken and rice

  • KarinaFrancis on April 25, 2017

    I loved this, so much flavour and absolutely delicious! The chicken turns out moist and that rice, oh yum! The only downside is that it's a palaver to make so certainly wouldn't be a weeknight dish as DH suggests. Also note that the achiotte paste takes some effort to dissolve, I ended up dissolving it in the stock.

  • grindabod on February 23, 2020

    Another delicious and easy recipe by Ms. Henry - I love how everything cooks together and creates one big flavour bomb. This was my first time trying achiote paste and there's really nothing like it.

• Bourbon and marmalade-glazed drumsticks

  • Radish on April 26, 2015

    This is pretty darn good. I used rum instead of bourbon. and I also put these on the BBQ. I will make this again in some form.

  • caitmcg on May 14, 2015

    I doubled the mustard and used thighs, rather than drumsticks. Great flavor, sweet, spicy, complex. It's odd that she says you can't eat the skin of the oranges because not only can you, but I've made a few recipes from Diana Henry's earlier books that similarly use whole orange pieces where you are clearly meant to eat them skin and all.

  • lilham on May 22, 2015

    Very good. The orange wedges are fiddly to eat and my family left them uneaten. Would try again without.

  • hillsboroks on November 17, 2015

    Great flavor and a snap to put together. I let them marinate 4 hours and the flavor did penetrate the chicken legs. I roasted them in a 9 x 13 inch metal baking pan that I had lined with heavy duty foil and they turned out looking just like the photo in the book. Next time I would cut the oranges into slightly larger slices. The thicker ones did the best and tasted lovely with chicken and the bit of sauce.

  • chawkins on February 26, 2018

    This was delicious, I only used 7 drumsticks but they were quite large and I only had room in my 7x 11” pan (so I could use my counter-top oven) for 1 large orange, so that was what I went with. Used one red Chile and one jalapeño and marinated for about 4 hours.

  • angrygreycat on August 01, 2018

    Made this tonight with 7 drumsticks. I think I would increase the mustard or the chillies for a bit more bite. Super easy recipe and a nice flavor. I bought a big pack of drumsticks and used half for this recipe and half with Justin Chapple's to have a variety of flavors. I was surprised when the recipe said dump the wings and the marinade all in the roasting pan. I was sure the liquid marinade would burn but it didn't :).

  • GloriaG on May 30, 2026

    The sauce is so tasty! Marinated chicken 8 hours before roasting. Added fresh broccoli to the pan when I put into the oven. The flavor permeated the chicken, broccoli & oranges. Looked & tasted delicious!

• Hot Italian chicken with peppers and chilli

  • Zosia on April 16, 2015

    The roasted peppers were a delicious accompaniment to the chicken. 1 tsp of chili flakes provided enough heat for me and if your bird is on the small side (1.6kg), you'll want to check on it after 30 minutes in the oven.

  • bellaCat on May 08, 2015

    3 tsps of chilli flakes is way too much, at least the ones I've got. Go easy and add as required.

  • hleese on May 14, 2015

    If you want a lighter version of this, ie, less calories, just put all the ingredients on a baking tray or oven proof dish and roast for 40 minutes, less calories and less washing up! I've tried it both ways and both delicious.

  • adewar on May 27, 2017

    This was surprisingly simple and had an amazing flavour and smell. The only problem I had was the chicken skin sticking to the pan when I was browning it. The tops of some of the chicken pieces were then a bit dry in the finished dish.

  • averythingcooks on January 13, 2023

    I cut this in 1/2 using 6 boneless skinless thighs which I did brown 1st. For the sweet peppers, I used a big mix...red & orange from the fridge + sweet banana & cubanelles from the freezer and yes - I did add some sliced red onion to the pan. For the heat, I used ground Calabrian chiles (to emphasize the Italian vibe) and we ate this beside a farro & tomato salad. Delicious!

  • jenmacgregor18 on January 28, 2023

    This is surprisingly delicious for such a simple preparation. I served it with braised olive oil & herb potatoes. We thought it was best right away with the crispy chicken skin, but it's still very good left over. I made 1/2 a recipe. I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and a mix of red bell and anaheim peppers. And I used Korean chile flake in the prescribed amount, it wasn't particularly hot. I had to add a bit more actually.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    Very simple and surprisingly delicious.

• Casa Lucio's chicken with garlic

  • Lsblackburn1 on November 21, 2021

    Very simple to make, but tastes lovely (and fancy). Served with mashed potatoes, which were perfect for squashing the confit garlic cloves into. I did not chop up the chicken thighs.

  • angrygreycat on January 21, 2023

    Made this for a week night dinner. Served with couscous and peas. Easier than I expected with chopping the boned chicken, no issues with splintering . Took a little longer to cook the chicken until done than the recipe stated. Nice tasting, but not really anything particularly special about it.

• Turkish-spiced chicken with hot green relish

  • Foodycat on April 15, 2015

    Love this - we had it in warmed pitta bread wraps with a dollop of yoghurt.

  • TrishaCP on June 11, 2016

    This was very easy and very delicious. I marinated the chicken the night before cooking, which brings it into the weeknight cooking realm. Like Foodycat, I served with pitas and yogurt, and threw in some tomatoes and cucumbers for good measure, and it was not too spicy.

  • lilham on June 25, 2016

    Equally lovely with chips.

  • katiesue28 on September 09, 2020

    Very good. Used chicken breasts, Lebanese flatbread, labne, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions for wraps. I only had time to marinate for about 1 1/2 hours, would recommend more. The relish is delicious.

  • KarinaFrancis on May 27, 2021

    Delicious! The marinade was sweet, smoky and charred beautifully on the bbq. I was concerned that the chilli relish would be too hot but it was just right.

  • jenmacgregor18 on September 23, 2023

    The chicken is delicious. B didn’t like the relish at all. It was not my favorite, but I would definitely make the chicken again.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    Amazing, and make sure you marinade for enough time.

  • ChandraNH on February 21, 2025

    Salsa is very good, but be mindful of salt as there are lots of olives.

• Chicken with Marsala, olives and blood oranges

  • Nichill on March 22, 2016

    Very tasty dish. Had to add a bit of water to stop it drying out, but was only making a half quantity. Well worth trying.

  • Ladyredspecs on July 13, 2016

    Loved this, just used legs and thighs on the bone. I'm unable to eat onion and garlic, thinly sliced fenel was the perfect subsitute.

  • sharifah on December 08, 2016

    Like this dish very much, the sauce is really nice, a bit unusual with the oranges. Followed recipe exactly, works well.

  • TrishaCP on December 20, 2016

    Beautiful dish that was equally as delicious. Served with farro and subbed cara cara oranges for blood oranges to good effect.

  • Pamsy on September 27, 2020

    This was very tasty with lovely flavoured sauce. Used ordinary jaffa oranges. Will definitely repeat.

  • Hansyhobs on February 15, 2023

    This was a really tasty and easy recipe. Had this with rice which was great as it soaked up the yummy sauce.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    Quality of the ingredients is key here, go with good quality Marsala and olives (and do use blood oranges, not navel).

• Chicken with anchovies, lemon and rosemary

  • hillsboroks on June 29, 2015

    Lovely weeknight recipe with loads of subtle flavor. I only had boneless skinless chicken thighs on hand but they worked just fine. I also had to sub slivered Vidalia onion for the shallot but they were sweet and savory and complimented the anchovy lemon flavor in the sauce. I reduced the time in the oven to 30 minutes and it was just right.

  • Jane on September 09, 2015

    This was an easy weeknight dinner. My thighs didn't brown like in the photo. I seem to have this issue with DH recipes - my chicken pieces seem to throw off a lot more liquid so they poach rather than roast. But they tasted good. The anchovy flavor is very subtle - I don't think anchovy haters would detect it.

  • Gio on October 30, 2015

    For this delicious chicken we used four whole chicken legs, thighs and drums separated. I included 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes.. Ours could have cooked a smidge longer but that's easily corrected next time. Loved all the flavors.

  • TrishaCP on November 29, 2015

    I made some changes out of necessity (boneless chicken thighs) and forgetfulness (forgot the garlic and lemon zest at the end), but I wasn't wowed by this dish. It was perfectly fine and tasty enough, but I probably wouldn't make it again. (Maybe the garlic and lemon zest at the end make all of the difference.) I agree the anchovies are not detectable.

  • veronicafrance on January 02, 2016

    This is the first recipe I've tried from this book, and we enjoyed it. Just the sort of recipe I like -- a bit of prep, then stick it in the oven and go away till it's done. I didn't do it exactly as written -- this was because my piri-piri dried chiles are so hot that when I tasted for seasoning, even though I only used one, the chile was so overpowering that I stirred in a spoonful of cream to soften the flavour. The sauce was delicious and the chicken skin nicely crisped.

  • Astrid5555 on April 17, 2016

    The best thing about this dish are the shallots and the sauce to which I had to add some more liquid after about 20 minutes since it browned too quickly. The chicken thighs had a crispy skin and were ok, but nothing special.

• Roopa's lemon grass and turmeric chicken with potato salad and date and tamarind chutney

  • Foodycat on April 15, 2015

    The potato salad is a winner, even if you don't make the chicken. But the chicken is very good. We were left with a lot of leftover pan juices, which I used to cook deliciously aromatic rice the following night.

  • slouj on February 06, 2016

    Wonderful recipe. Chicken, with leftover sauce poured over, freezes well and makes lovely sandwich or wrap filling.

  • Melyinoz on July 11, 2020

    I really enjoyed this recipe. Unfortunately, I was unable to make the chutney because I was unable to locate the tamarind that I was certain was in my cupboard. I’m sure that the chutney would have been a wonderful addition, but the chicken and potato salad were still delicious without it.

  • emma_clare on August 15, 2021

    The salad and chutney were fantastic - hot, spicy and fragrant. The chicken was nice but I thought a little disappointing - I couldn't really taste the lemongrass, Thai basil or lime.

• Tajine of chicken, caramelized onions and pears

  • NikkiPixie on April 16, 2015

    This was absolutely amazing. Time consuming - a LOT of shallots to peel - but the flavour was spectacular. My partner was literally licking his plate afterwards. Make sure you use a high quality honey, it made all the difference.

  • eliza on July 11, 2015

    Really liked this dish. I used chicken thighs and made a smaller amount but otherwise followed the recipe. It took about 1.5 hrs from start to finish. I think this could be streamlined somewhat; for example, chicken goes in and cooks 15 minutes before the shallots then later the chicken comes out and onions cooked further...I will change that next time I try it, hopefully making it quicker with no loss of flavour. Love the addition of pears at the end.

  • veronicafrance on March 26, 2016

    I reckon there are no duds in this book -- another excellent result. I didn't find it particularly time-consuming; I did use chicken drumsticks though, so they didn't take long to cook, and you can continue with preparation (for example peeling the shallots) while the chicken is cooking. The pears I had weren't great and even so the result was excellent, with the contrast between briefly cooked pears (fried while the sauce reduced) and everything else. I didn't reduce the sauce to nothing as she implies you should -- it was too good for that, so I just boiled till caramel coloured and syrupy. It's so good that plainly steamed instant couscous is absolutely fine as an accompaniment.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    Wow. I really loved this, not sure why the other commenters thought it was only so so. I used shallots instead of pearl onions, but I wish I had pearl onions on hand.

  • alexthepink on August 09, 2019

    Nice, but too sweet for me and quite an effort to make, so I don't think I will be doing this one again.

  • Melyinoz on March 17, 2018

    I'm not as much a fan of this dish as others here. There wasn't anything wrong with the dish, but I wouldn't rush to cook it again. Especially with so many other standout recipes I have already cooked from this book, and so many others to try.

• Balinese chicken, bean and coconut salad

  • Foodycat on April 21, 2015

    I didn't have any fresh coconut so I used a little extra coconut cream. I also left the oil out of the dressing. And I used chicken breast fillets, not thighs. So delicious. I think it'd be lovely with some bean thread vermicelli tossed through as well.

  • aberne on May 13, 2019

    Yes yesssssss, so much crunch and flavor.

• Vietnamese caramelized ginger chicken

  • Jane on May 05, 2015

    I marinated the chicken overnight so it got a good flavor. The end result was quite good, and certainly manageable for a quick dinner if you marinate the chicken ahead. I didn't find the caramelized sugar flavor very pronounced - which was a good thing in my view.

• Chicken rye schnitzel with mustard sauce

  • lilham on May 16, 2015

    The mustard sauce Is delicious with the schnitzel. Great addition to what is essentially a child's meal to adult tastes. (So now both my kids and us parents can enjoy it).

  • stockholm28 on June 21, 2015

    I really enjoyed this dish and although I don't have kids I suspect it would be a good family dish. The rye breadcrumbs were really subtle. There is definitely a slightly different flavor from the basic panko breaded chicken, but I'm not sure that I'd be able to discern the rye in a blind taste test. The recipe calls for 1 3/4 cups of rye bread crumbs but I needed nearly twice that amount. She uses chicken thighs which was a revelation to me; I did pound mine with a mallet rather than follow her instructions of flattening with a rolling pin. The mustard shallot wine sauce is excellent. The sauce is definitely for the adults.

  • averythingcooks on February 14, 2024

    I had a stash of fresh rye bread crumbs in the freezer specifically for this recipe and the verdict here was clear...this is really good! I've never "schnitzelled" thighs before, the rye bread crumbs give lots of flavour (but I also needed more than called for) and the sauce was delicious with both the chicken and our side of roasted potatoes & broccoli. We almost always have rye bread on hand and so it's an easy decision to make this again...and again.

• Palm sugar-griddled chicken with radishes, cucumber and vermicelli rice noodles

  • NikkiPixie on June 05, 2015

    This was fabulous but quite time-consuming. I've been to Vietnam and this took me straight back there. The recipe doesn't say what to do with the coriander leaves, only the stalks, but it seemed pretty obvious to chuck it in the salad with the mint. The only thing I'd change is that Vietnamese noodle dishes tend to only have a small amount of meat, so I'd halve the chicken and marinade. Incidentally, this would save a lot of time, as grating 40g of ginger takes a looooong time!

  • TrishaCP on October 14, 2018

    This was good- even using the chicken breasts I had inadvertently purchased rather than thighs. It was very time-consuming to prep all of the ingredients for the marinade and dressing. However, the rest of the meal comes together quickly after the elements are made.

• Salad of chicken, cherries and watercress with creamy tarragon dressing

  • Foodycat on June 29, 2015

    I used sauteed chicken thigh fillets instead of the poached breasts and just propped them on top. A lovely combination of sweet/savoury/juicy/pungent/crunchy/soft. I'm planning to use the dressing as a quick alternative to Bearnaise with steak.

  • purrviciouz on July 19, 2018

    We really enjoyed this. Next time I'd make the dressing the day before because the tarragon flavor does intensify as it sits and I would reduce the sugar in the dressing or maybe add more vinegar. I poached chicken breasts and sliced them. This was a lovely meal.

• My coronation chicken with mango and avocado

  • Foodycat on July 11, 2015

    I used chicken thigh fillets instead of breast. This makes a very good, lighter, fresher version of coronation chicken. Even my husband, who claims he doesn't like meat and fruit together, enjoyed it. Next time I'd probably make a bit less of the dressing for the other quantities though. ETA - when I made it again I inverted the quantities of yoghurt and mayonnaise, which made the dressing lighter, and made a bit less of it.

  • Silverscreensuppers on August 09, 2016

    I love coronation chicken and I really liked Diana's take on it. Delicious.

  • saarwouters on July 28, 2018

    Wonderful summer salad with Indian flavours. I agree with the other notes, that there was way too much dressing! So I only added 2 or 3 tablespoons of it, and served the rest of the dressing on the side. Also, I switched the amounts of mayonnaise and yoghurt in the dressing, to make it a bit more healthy and fresh. Delicious!

  • lou_weez on February 11, 2018

    This was really good. Take care not to add too much dressing, but other than that a great summer dish.

  • ebalk02 on June 26, 2023

    A really light and refreshing summer lunch, tasty and flavorful. Would make this again.

  • sdeathe on July 19, 2020

    Lovely, easy to do chicken salad. I used a ripe nectarine in place of the mango, and green grapes instead of the avocado. I agree, it makes a lot of dressing. Next time, I'd make half or so, and try using more of the yoghurt in place of the mayonnaise.

• Mexican griddled chicken, sweet potato and avocado salad with chipotle mayo

  • hillsboroks on August 08, 2015

    I made this for a lunch with guests and it was a great success. Not only was it colorful to look at but the multitude of flavors combined to give you flavor zing in every bite. I could not find chipotle paste so used some of the liquid from a can of chipotle chilies instead in the dressing. I also skipped making the mayo from scratch and used my favorite jarred mayonnaise instead. The dressing had just the right amount of spiciness for us but you could easily ramp up the heat by adding more of the chili juice or chopping some of the chilies and adding them. It all came together quicker than I anticipated. I will definitely make this hearty salad again.

  • lou_weez on January 16, 2018

    A delicious, flavourful salad that I can't wait to make again.

• Chicken with Riesling, leeks and grapes

  • pluralcow on September 25, 2015

    This is a nice recipe for the cooler weather. I added about 3x as many grapes as called for and would do that again, the recipe calls for a very small number of grapes.

  • paulabee on March 29, 2016

    loved this; will definitely return to this recipe. I added a small amount of spicy chicken sausage to braise with the chicken thighs. The sauce was fantastic- it felt decadent without being heavy. note: I used skinless chicken thighs b/c I'm not a huge fan of how skin gets soggy during a braise, and I've encountered this with other recipes in A Bird in the Hand. I was worried there wouldn't be enough fat and the chicken would dry out as a result, but the meat was still tender and delicious.

  • TrishaCP on September 20, 2016

    I was inspired by Astrid's note to try this one too. We made it with grapes but served sautéed mushrooms on the side. I think I preferred the mushrooms to the grapes here, but the grapes certainly weren't bad. The meat was very tender and flavorful (used bone-in thighs), but I agree that the skin should be removed.

  • Astrid5555 on September 12, 2016

    Exceptional! The sauce, the chicken, the leeks, the grapes! Husband licked the plate and even the kids loved the juicy and tender chicken meat. Wow!

  • Barb_N on February 14, 2018

    I made this in advance in case I was working late. Followed suggestions and used skinless (which meant boneless) thighs and mushrooms instead of grapes. Omitted the cream and it reheated beutifully. Did not reduce the sauce- instead we ate it with a spoon. Definitely will repeat.

  • Melyinoz on March 06, 2022

    Thanks for the notes, everyone. I made this with 3 x the grapes and didn’t reduce the sauce too much which was a good call. It is the sauce that makes this dish. I found it difficult to stop tasting the sauce from the pan. Yum.

  • raybun on September 20, 2016

    A delicious comforting autumn meal. The flavours were spot on, I subbed mushrooms for the grapes as suggested, as that's what I had on hand. I served it with rice but will make mashed potato next time to soak up the gorgeous sauce.

  • saarwouters on February 10, 2018

    We loved this too! Make sure you serve it with some bread to get every last drop of the amazing sauce!

  • Frogcake on April 06, 2017

    We loved this! I omitted the grapes and added mushrooms instead. As well I threw in cubed potatoes into the pan. All plates were licked clean the sauce was so delicious.

• Chicken forestière

  • stockholm28 on November 11, 2015

    Reminds me of a more rustic version of Julia Child's chicken with mushrooms and cream. This is very good ... mushrooms, madeira, cream. My only criticism is that you end up with flabby skin on the chicken thighs since you cook the dish with the cover on. I removed the skin before serving.

  • kari500 on February 09, 2025

    I found this a bit dull. Definitely better the second day. I may have under salted, as it was very much pepped up by adding some truffle salt. Glad I finally tried it, but won’t be rushing to make it again.

  • eliza on May 02, 2018

    I didn't like this as much as the other reviewers. Not sure why, but mine just wasn't all that flavourful. I used the adapted technique that others have suggested to avoid soggy skin, but otherwise followed the recipe.

  • peacheater on December 23, 2025

    Delicious!! Used boneless skinless chicken thighs and slightly reduced the cooking time.

  • TrishaCP on November 23, 2019

    I’m with Eliza- this definitely wasn’t bad, but wasn’t my favorite from this book. Maybe because I had to use the dry sherry option? Anyway, I think I would prefer this with boneless skinless pieces.

  • Astrid5555 on October 26, 2016

    This was soooo good! The sauce was delicious, subbed sherry for the Madeira, worked well. As mentioned by the other reviewers, the flabby chicken skin was a little bit off-putting. Maybe just take it off before cooking or try to recrisp it under the broiler next time? Served over papardelle pasta.

  • veronicafrance on January 12, 2024

    A good, simple one-pot recipe. I used chicken breasts because they were what I had — boneless thighs would have been better. No Madeira, but rather than dry sherry I used PX sherry, which is far from dry but works brilliantly in this type of dish. And I added fresh wild mushrooms as well as dried, because I had some to use up. Served with pasta, but mashed potato or a potato gratin made with stock rather than milk would work better. Will probably make again.

  • meggan on May 27, 2021

    Used marsala instead. I thought this pretty delish.

  • tui on November 16, 2019

    I got a good deal on some skinless turkey thighs and used this recipe to cook them. It worked out really well.

  • FJT on February 13, 2021

    Another vote for this as an easy, tasty supper. Used skinless, boneless thighs and sherry.

  • Barb_N on February 17, 2021

    The most difficult thing about this recipe was finding it in the book; the index is quite idiosyncratic with recipes mostly grouped by methods of cooking. It is considered a sauté and not a braise. I followed Rinshin’s advice and cooked it for an hour uncovered in the oven, which produced shatteringly crisp skin and moist meat. My s.o. Was heard slurping up the sauce when cleaning up (he said it didn’t all fit in the dish ??) and requested a reprise.

  • hillsboroks on September 25, 2016

    This is a mushroom lovers delight! It was also a fabulous way to cook one of my hunter husband's wild ducks (for him) along with the chicken thighs (for me). I used 4 chicken thighs and the duck which was cut into 4 pieces and it was just right. My only problem was realizing mid-recipe that I didn't have heavy cream on hand as I had thought so I subbed in half whole milk and half sour cream mixed together. It seemed to work just fine but I can hardly wait to make this again using cream. I think that running it quickly under the broiler next time just before serving might make the chicken skin crisp up nicely but my dish ended up pretty much looking just like the photo in the book.

  • Rinshin on September 08, 2017

    Loved the taste but did not care for the technique, so changed how it was prepared. Wanted to keep the chicken skin crisp at all times and used the method I like (Cook's Illustrated method that works great). Browned the chicken both sides, removed the chicken and cooked the sauce component per recipe. But, instead of covering and cooking stovetop with the chicken skin getting gloppy using the recipe instructions, I baked it at 325 without cover for 1 hour. Made sure chicken skin was always above the liquid portion. Did not have all the mushrooms in this recipe, and subbed with dried button and maetake and fresh eringe (trumpet) mushrooms. Super mushroom taste. So delicious. I would think any mushroom will work here. Will be repeating again. Photo added.

  • Zosia on October 29, 2016

    I was inspired by Astrid5555's review and the fact that I had all of the ingredients to make this and I'm glad I did. It was easy and so flavourful. I used skinned chicken legs that needed an extra 10 minutes to cook but since the sauce needed extra time to reduce, that worked out. Next time, I'll double the carrots - so tasty infused with the cooking liquid - so there's a full vegetable serving per person.

  • adewar on May 27, 2017

    Very sophisticated flavour and smell. I agree with the comment about flabby chicken skin. The mushroom flavour is superb.

  • saarwouters on January 07, 2019

    We also loved this! Autumn on a plate! Used skinless chicken tighs and sherry. Will serve this for dinner parties to come.

  • Frenchfoodie on December 17, 2025

    Delicious though I did add a garlic clove and cook with mainly dry white wine and just a splash of madiera as the one I had was too sweet to use on its own. Added a little flour with the cream to thicken the sauce a touch.

  • Melyinoz on March 14, 2018

    I have made this numerous times, and it is lovely and rich. I serve it with creamy mash which works well. My sister still talks about this dish.

  • MissKoo on October 11, 2023

    Very good for a rainy fall night dinner. I doubled the mushrooms for guest who especially enjoys them and was taking leftovers home. I've made this several times stovetop but next time will follow suggestion to oven bake at 325 for an hour to maintain crispy skin. Flavors are lovely. Served with sautéed green beans and a rice pilaf.

  • jhallen on November 25, 2020

    This was very good and was easy to make. Not a “5” for me but still really good. Made it as written and the skin turned out fine for me.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    Also made this with sherry. Delicious but very rich.

• Roast Jerusalem artichokes and chicken with anchovy, walnut and parsley relish

  • lilham on January 15, 2016

    This is very simple to make but I wasn't wowed by it. It's just ok. DH said the Jerusalem artichokes should be caramelised from the cooking. However mine wasn't as there was a lot of cooking liquid in the roasting tin.

  • jenmacgregor18 on March 30, 2023

    The chicken and artichokes are very good on their own, but the relish is fantastic and puts it over the top. I subbed boneless, skinless thighs and red balsamic and added Aleppo pepper to the black pepper & salt. 10 minutes into roasting, I saw a lot of cooking liquid in the pan, so I pulled it and spread everything out on a half-sheet pan, as I figured I wouldn't have any browning with the moisture. The artichokes carmelized just fine then.

  • Nichill on December 12, 2021

    Salsa really lovely, artichokes caramelised beautifully. Will make again. Substituted red balsamic vinegar and a half teaspoon of sugar syrup for white balsamic, which seemed to give the right balance of sweetness to salt and acidity.

  • ElianeW on February 25, 2019

    This was delicious. Really good way to eat jerusalem artichokes which are not my family's favourite.

• Roast chicken and pumpkin, black lentils and hazelnut picada

  • veronicafrance on February 05, 2016

    This was good, but I have to say the only thing that lifts it above the ordinary is the picada, which is excellent. It looks like quite an involved recipe, with four separate elements, but actually each element is very simple, so hands-on time is not excessive and the tasks are sequential: put the chicken in the oven, prepare and roast the squash, get the lentils going, make the picada while they are cooking, rest the chicken while you finish off the other items. PS I have no idea what black lentils are, so I used Puy lentils.

  • Hansyhobs on February 13, 2023

    Easy recipe, not too involved. Agree with everyone regarding the picada being the most interesting thing here. I used Beluga Lentils. Probably wouldn't bother doing this again.

  • e_ballad on June 04, 2018

    I was a little underwhelmed. I agree with @veronicafrance that the picada was the most notable component & it was tasty, but overall, it still wasn’t enough to bring this into regular rotation.

• Chicken legs in Pinot noir with sour cherries and parsnip purée

  • Foodycat on April 03, 2016

    A bit of a fiddle with a few different processes, but a really elegant result. The wine and sour cherry sauce is quite tart, and the parsnip puree is very sweet and they work beautifully together with the chicken. But I bet it would be nice with pork too.

  • grindabod on May 02, 2019

    Very classy, felt like a restaurant dish.

  • peaceoutdesign on July 08, 2023

    I mixed up the chicken and therefore finished in the oven with a thermometer to 165F. I didn't have cherry juice so I used a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses and halved the cherries. I didn't do the parsnips because I already had mashed potatoes. The recipe was great and I think the parsnip puree would make it even better.

• Warm salad of chipotle-griddled chicken, chorizo and quinoa with lime crème fraîche

  • lilham on April 18, 2016

    Lovely salad. Don't be intimated by the long list of ingredients. The parts all come together very quickly. I served the creme fraiche on the side but it was barely touched. The salad is full of flavour with or without the creme fraiche.

  • sarahj22 on February 03, 2018

    This was really yummy. I left out the coriander and spring onions and used crispy salad instead of spinach. I'd planned to serve it with feta as DH suggests in the blurb - I forgot at the last minute, but I don't think cheese would've added anything anyway. Loved the harissa roasted tomatoes. It's probably worth making a bigger batch for other salads. I agree with lilham that this doesn't actually need the lime creme fraiche but I did like the bit of creaminess it brought.

  • katiesue28 on October 03, 2023

    Very delicious. It is quite simple, but will dirty up a lot of dishes with all the different components. I added chopped cilantro and parsley to the lime creme fraiche, and that brightened it up even more. I also used Mexican-style soyrizo instead of Spanish chorizo to avoid using more meat. This is a beautiful dish that would be a great centerpiece for a luncheon or a summer dinner party.

• Poussins with black grapes, juniper and saba

  • Ladyredspecs on July 13, 2016

    Really lovely combination of flavours

  • TrishaCP on October 08, 2016

    This was a perfect autumnal meal. I made this using 4 bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs instead of poussins, and red grapes instead of black (so I reduced the saba by half so things wouldn't get too sweet). I had to add to the cooking time significantly since I was using chicken- maybe by about 20 minutes? The juniper wasn't very prominent, but I don't have the freshest version available. I served this with farro.

• Smoky chicken salad with roast peppers, shiitake and sugar snap peas

  • FJT on July 24, 2016

    This is a lovely salad. It was really easy to make and was very tasty. I made it with the peppers and sugar snap peas, but instead of shiitake mushrooms I added carrot and radish to the salad leaves (as suggested as a variation). I liked the extra crunch that this added.

  • e_ballad on January 11, 2017

    Uncharacteristic for her recipes, there were a lot of steps involved to make this salad (lots of washing up!), albeit all of them simple. Unfortunately, for all the effort, the combination of textures & flavours didn't especially wow us. A bit more crunch might change this, with the radish/carrot variation sounding like a good idea.

• Chicken with thyme and lemon and smashed garlic potatoes

  • Jane on May 05, 2015

    Very quick and easy dinner - results not spectacular but perfectly OK. Chicken cooked with lemon zest and juice and thyme with baby potatoes boiled then roasted with garlic and thyme. Can't really go wrong with that ingredients combination in my book. My chicken was in a lot more liquid and much less browned than in the photo - they are spaced out on a large tray whereas I followed the directions and fitted snugly in a single layer. The instructions also missed out what to do with the second lemon's juice.

  • TrishaCP on November 11, 2015

    Easy enough to pull together with classic flavors of lemon, thyme, and garlic. The chicken was perfectly fine though as Jane says, if you want it browned it needs to be on a tray and not snug in a layer per the directions. The potatoes were amazing-I didn't have baby potatoes so just used Yukon gold cut in chunks instead. They did fall a part a bit, but the flavors were spot on, along with that delicious crust you get from well-roasted potatoes.

  • veronicafrance on April 01, 2016

    This was OK, but really nothing special. Diana didn't say to peel the potatoes, so I didn't, and I think I should have done. In fact you could simply do proper roast potatoes with this and they'd be fine. Like Jane I noted she didn't say what to do with the remaining lemon juice. Maybe you're supposed to add it at the end for a bit more zing. Anyway I have several other simple tray-roasted chicken recipes that are better than this one, so I won't make it again. It's the only recipe from this book so far that I've found a bit dull.

  • saarwouters on December 01, 2017

    I agree with the other notes. It tasted good and was easy to make. But I've tasted better chicken / garlic / lemon recipes.

  • Kduncan on March 03, 2020

    Another agreement with other notes, chicken did not brown enough with cooking technique, where does the rest of the lemon juice go? It is a dish and a side dish, and things are not cooked together. Had similar but better recipes before. But can one really go wrong with lemon, garlic, chicken, and potatoes?

• Pot-roast chicken with figs

  • vickster on July 31, 2016

    Delicious recipe, and a great way to use the figs from my tree. I followed the recipe quite closely, but I used a turkey breast instead of whole chicken because that is what I had and used brandy instead of Armagnac. I will definitely make this again, and will try with whole chicken as well.

• Paprika roast chicken with caraway potatoes, quick-pickled cucumber and soured cream

  • vickster on April 30, 2017

    Very good roast chicken recipe. I didn't make any of the accompaniments, but would like to try them next time, especially the pickled cucumber.

  • Melyinoz on February 19, 2023

    I didn’t have any cayenne pepper, so substituted with chilli flakes. My chicken was slightly overcooked, but that was due to my oven temp playing up. The dish was really well balanced and incredibly tasty when all of the elements were eaten together. Another great dish from this book. Next time I would use a big cucumber and cook more potatoes as, for me, there were not enough.

  • jenburkholder on January 19, 2026

    Very nice dinner - made the whole things with just a few mods. My chicken was more like 5# so I roasted at 375 for closer to 1.5 hours. I did more potatoes, and after adding the caraway butter I slightly crushed them and added a bit more butter. Did forget that I like a little less sugar in my cucumbers, so need to remember next time. Didn't serve with a side of sour cream but did a salad with homemade ranch for the requisite creamy factor. Everyone enjoyed a lot.

• Cavatelli with chicken, pancetta, peas and cream

  • Gio on April 14, 2016

    Pg 209. Love this recipe! Have made it twice so far and now it's in a loose kind of rotation. Used the recipe exactly as printed the first time. Last night I subbed Farfalle for the Cavatelli, and mixed vegetables for the peas. A half bag of Trader Joe's frozen Vegetable Hodgepodge, to be exact. It's a combo of " broccoli florets, julienne sliced carrots, red pepper strips, onion strips, sliced mushroom, sugar snap peas, baby cut cob corn, sliced water chestnuts", that worked perfectly with the pasta.

  • Melyinoz on March 17, 2018

    Quick, tasty and uses leftovers. What more could you want?

  • Zosia on March 23, 2017

    Such a quick and delicious way to use up leftover cooked chicken - good enough that I would even cook chicken just to make it. The lemon and mint were particularly nice additions. I used half the cream and added pasta cooking water to make up the balance of liquid.

  • veronicafrance on June 04, 2017

    Utterly fabulous! It will become my new default way of using the last few scraps of a chicken, instead of risotto -- you really need very little, and the tiniest scraps will do. I agree with Diana that short pasta works perfectly. I used trofie, but penne or macaroni would be OK too. I didn't have any pancetta, so I used bacon, and I couldn't be bothered to go out looking for wild mint, so I used basil from the pot on the windowsill. I agree with everyone else that the lemon zest really lifts it above the ordinary. Excellent garlicky gravy from the pot-roasted chicken helped too.

  • Astrid5555 on July 15, 2015

    One of the best chicken leftover recipes in a long time, very simple yet delicious. Adding lemon to the otherwise very basic ingredients adds a delicious twist. Will go into the regular rotation.

  • averythingcooks on November 22, 2023

    I really enjoyed this creamy chicken pasta. I used penne, a combo of lemon herb butter + lemon basil pesto that were both lurking in the freezer and a pretty heavy hand with the parmesan. For 1/2, I cut the pasta to 3 oz and added some diced red pepper with the onion etc. I'm very happy to still have some tucked away for today's lunch :)

  • Anea25 on November 15, 2023

    Used leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it worked great. It is quite simple but easy and tasty for a week-night dinner

• Jewish chicken with tzimmes

  • Gio on December 14, 2015

    Delicious chicken! The caution for this recipe is that it's very sweet. DH advises one to mitigate that by using less sweet vegetables, and reducing other variables, which we did. Verdict: a tasty, juicy, crisp skin chicken and fruit with unctuous pan juices.

  • veronicafrance on March 13, 2016

    This was really delicious. Definitely a make-again. No problem with it being too sweet; I used ordinary potatoes rather than sweet potatoes, and some fat, juicy Agen prunes. Given the choice between red and white wine, I used red, which made for a rich mahogany-coloured sauce. My one criticism: when everything else was cooked, the carrots were still hard. I'd either parboil them for 5 minutes first, or cut them into much smaller pieces.

  • ebalk02 on January 22, 2023

    I didn't think this was anything to write home about, but was totally fine. Definitely not too sweet, if that's a concern. I think there are considerably better recipes for tzimmes out there.

• Mustard chicken, black beans and avocado salsa

  • caitmcg on June 05, 2018

    I really enjoyed this combination, though I cut the honey in the chicken marinade back drastically.

  • Frogcake on November 21, 2016

    We loved this recipe. Will make this one again! I followed the recipe completely except used lemon in place of lime. The chicken marinade is a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and spicy from the chilies. The bean dish is lovely, fresh and suitably spicy. Really, really nice with the avocado salsa.

• Coriander-seared chicken with hot-and-cold cucumber relish

  • caitmcg on June 25, 2015

    This is chock-full of flavor, thanks to the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, black pepper, and cilantro in the marinade. The spicy cucumbers with Sichuan peppercorns complement it well, and I loved the bold flavors of the whole dish.

  • TrishaCP on July 30, 2016

    I only had time to marinate my chicken for about an hour, and it was still delicious. The cucumber salad goes perfectly with the chicken. I was worried about the large amount of chiles and omitted the dried, but next time I would add them or use the fresh chiles with seeds as the deseeded chiles (a cayenne and a jalapeño) were fairly mild).

  • Astrid5555 on January 31, 2022

    Loved the cucumber salad with the chicken. So delicous and not enough for a family with two hungry teenage boys. Will definitely make again!

• Poulet au vinaigre

  • Avocet on August 03, 2022

    Excellent. I've made this both with the cream and without, and we prefer it without the cream.

• Buttermilk chicken with chipotle slaw

  • RosieB on March 04, 2018

    I thought this was just okay for the time involved in marinating. The slaw was very good.

  • saarwouters on February 25, 2018

    We really loved the slaw. We couldn't get the chipotles in adobo, so we used smoked paprika. And it was really tasty and powerfull! The chicken itself was not very special in our opinion.

  • embk27 on May 07, 2016

    I've made this several times and it's always amazing. The marinade is so simple and makes the chicken really tender. It works well with chicken wings too.

  • raybun on March 22, 2017

    I only made the chicken part of this recipe and it is excellent. I had planned to make the slaw but it was -24C here today so I roasted some sweet potatoes and served with broccoli. I've bookmarked it in my summer file as the chipotle slaw intrigues me.

  • angrygreycat on September 21, 2018

    The slaw is really the star here. Excellent spicy tasting slaw. The chicken was fine and easy to make but nothing super special. I would definitely make the slaw again.

  • peaceoutdesign on October 23, 2020

    Unimpressive chicken but would like to try the slaw.

  • Zosia on June 25, 2023

    The chicken was very tender and had nice flavour but I would agree the slaw is the star of this dish (and I generally don't like creamy dressings).

• Chicken pot-roasted in milk, bay and nutmeg

  • RosieB on August 10, 2016

    Absolutely delicious. The chicken was moist and tender. This is a variation of a Jamie Oliver recipe but cooked half the time with the lid off so it browned nicely. The sauce was so tasty. A definite make again recipe.

  • Nichill on May 14, 2019

    Managed successfully as a midweek supper. Very successful with children who like orzo. Chicken was very well cooked after 1.5 hours: might try less next time, or lower temperature. Made with a very high quality chicken, and I seasoned it generously: the juices were delicious and I can't say that there was any taste of milk at all.

  • Rinshin on August 16, 2016

    With 10 garlic cloves and zest from 2 lemons, I thought I would like this recipe. Unfortunately, the taste of garlic and lemons were completely muted by milk. It was very bland tasting and not to our taste at all.

  • emma_clare on February 09, 2023

    This did not work well for me at all. The sauce was strangely curdled, oily and gelatinous. My chicken was a bit bigger than the recipe recommends and I crammed it into quite a small pot - so maybe something about that made the dish not work how if was supposed to. I would caution against making this for the first time if you have guests coming over!

  • Melyinoz on February 21, 2023

    My chicken was cooked in a shorter time than suggested in the recipe, but my oven temperature is playing up. This is very tasty, but because I only had a wide pan, a lot of my sauce evaporated. I might add more milk next time to stop this from happening.

• Chicken, corn and potato soup with spicy avocado and lime salsa

  • RosieB on August 26, 2016

    I thought this was a nice tasty soup. I pan fried some chicken thigh fillets with bacon which gave the soup some extra flavour. It needs salt. The salsa looked great and was an interesting accompaniment. I forgot to add the creme fraiche but did not miss it. I would make this again.

  • TrishaCP on September 17, 2016

    I thought this soup was delicious, but it definitely benefits from homemade chicken stock. I used grilled chicken breasts that were still fairly juicy but had a nice smokey taste. My crème fraîche did not split, and I wasn't being particularly careful with it or anything, I just kind of bunged it in with the corn. I didn't make the salsa- instead I used other homemade salsa and just mixed it with cut up avocados. Would not have thought to do that on my own, but it was great!

  • ellencooks on November 22, 2018

    I made this with turkey broth and leftover turkey from our early Thanksgiving. Loved the combination of the salsa in the soup. I used sour cream rather than creme fraiche.

  • NikkiPixie on September 24, 2015

    The salsa here is outstanding. The soup was also very good, although it was hard to avoid the crème fraiche splitting. Where the recipe fell down for me was that I just don't think the two components worked together.

• Chicken shish with toum

  • Emily Hope on June 12, 2019

    Made (and liked) this with a few modifications -- left boneless skinless chicken thighs whole rather than cut and skewered, which worked fine; only marinated for an hour; made a toum recipe designed for a stick blender (Epicurious, Two-minute Toum; similar ingredients with the addition of an egg white). Grilled chicken was fine and greatly improved with the addition of the toum, which is so delicious I would put it on everything were it not for the (very!) lingering fragrance of garlic. Made it with garlic fresh out of the garden--not sure I would make it outside of garlic season. Served w/homemade naan and grilled asparagus and garlic scapes.

  • TrishaCP on June 19, 2016

    I also made just the shish because we didn't have enough garlic. I agree with Zosia-this was very flavorful, moist and with a nice amount of spice (I used a combo of Aleppo and Marash peppers). Looking forward to trying the toum.

  • Zosia on May 19, 2016

    I made the shish without the toum - there was enough garlic in the marinade as it was - but did serve them with garlicky tzatziki instead of Greek yogurt. The marinade was simple but flavourful and both thigh and breast meat were moist cooked slowly as recommended over the dying heat of a barbecue.

• Chicken with leeks, apples and cider

  • TrishaCP on December 15, 2018

    Wow, we thought this was amazing! I used boneless skinless thighs since they were on hand and that shortened the cook time a bit. The sauce is absolutely lovely. Definitely one to repeat.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    Absolutely love apples and chicken. This was heavenly.

  • hillsboroks on April 21, 2024

    This dish was delicious and yes it took a bit of time to prepare but we loved it. After reading all the notes about the difficulty of getting the sauce to thicken in a reasonable time I simply doubled the amount of flour and the sauce was perfect! I was cooking for two and cut everything in the recipe in half except the tablespoon of flour. I checked several times during the covered simmering time to make sure the sauce wasn’t getting too thick but it was fine. By my old home economics reckoning adding 1 tablespoon of flour to a cup of liquid results in a thin easily pourable sauce.

  • mirandaw on October 06, 2017

    I really like this recipe and have made it several times. Easy to make in advance and reheat, or freeze portions and reheat, which suits my current lifestyle. It does take a bit longer to prepare, but my family and visitors have enjoyed it. I would have no hesitation serving this up to visitors.

  • sharifah on December 08, 2016

    I made this for a dinner party of fussy eaters, and it went down well. But this dish takes longer than you think because of the sauce-reducing part and quite a few steps involved to get to the finished dish. Nice, creamy comforting dish but don't do it for a dinner party! Or plan well, and start cooking in good time! :-)

  • e_ballad on June 28, 2017

    This was fine, but I think I've been spoilt by Diana's other chicken recipe from the same book, which have so far had a 'wow' response. As a comfort food, this recipe 'works', but it didn't quite impress.

• Pomegranate and honey-glazed chicken skewers

  • TrishaCP on August 07, 2018

    With an overnight marinade, this came together very quickly and made a great dinner. (We didn't bother putting the thighs on skewers- just grilled them whole.) The recipe reads like it will be fairly sweet tasting, but with the char of the grill, and the spices and onions, it didn't really taste sweet to me. (That being said, I would only add the honey to your taste after incorporating the rest of the marinade ingredients since the sweetness in pomegranate molasses can be so variable.) I used a teaspoon of cayenne instead of the three teaspoons called for in the recipe, and it was fine that way but I would probably up the spice level at least to two teaspoons next time. I would also probably skip the pistachios next time- I didn't think they added much here.

  • Barb_N on July 14, 2022

    Like TrishaCP we grilled whole boneless skinless thighs, which were butterflied when deboned. The marinade had heat even with very little cayenne but I couldn’t taste it at all on the meat. I loved the red onion & cilantro garnish. A gateway recipe for grilling chicken.

• Chicken with Shaoxing wine, crisp radishes and pickled ginger

  • Frogcake on February 07, 2017

    Great recipe! My chicken marinated for nine hours in the refrigerator. We love the taste combination of Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and honey. It's also a very easy prep with time divided. The chicken thighs can also be braised in the oven with great results -at 350F, forty minutes. Great with daikon radish and pickled ginger, but leave these out and it's still wonderful.

• Chicken, soft spring onions and baby potatoes

  • jenmacgregor18 on December 21, 2023

    Like Astrid, I didn't have high expectations, it almost looked too simple. This was easy to make, used what I had on hand, and turned out very well. I agree the sauce is particularly good. I subbed sour cream for the creme fraiche.

  • TrishaCP on April 10, 2021

    This was very nice, though I am a sucker for sauces made from vermouth. As Astrid5555 says, the star of the dish is the sauce. My one quibble with this recipe is that I think it would be better oven-baked to provide more even consistency to the cook on the potatoes.

  • Astrid5555 on January 05, 2020

    I did not have very high expectations, just wanted to use a bunch of spring onions lingering in the fridge, but what a surprise! An easy one-pot meal with a delicious sauce made from reduced vermouth, chicken stock, crème fraîche and spring onions. Husband called the combination of potatoes and sauce phenomenal, the chicken was just a nice side dish. Will go into regular chicken rotation!

• Poulet bonne femme

  • Astrid5555 on March 19, 2017

    This smells incredibly good while cooking, the end result was just ok compared to some other recipes from this book. I used skin-on, bone-in thighs instead of cutting a whole chicken into pieces. I still haven't found a good way to cope with the flappy chicken skin, which I find really off-putting. Apart from that the potatoes tasted really bacony and the mushrooms complemented the dish perfectly.

• Cumin and lime-scented potato salad with date and tamarind chutney

  • Victoria_from_London on April 12, 2023

    Don't obsess over reducing it by half; just go for consistency. My chutney did not need so much reducing to be drizzleable. Use wide pan for reductions, eg medium skillet. Nice mixture for the potatoes: Good tasty Riverford potatoes could stand this treatment.

• Jamaican chicken curry with sweet love apples and rum

  • lou_weez on February 12, 2018

    This was really good and quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal.

  • averythingcooks on October 29, 2020

    This made a really flavourful “one pot”. I cut it in 1/2 and used a sweet potato & some mini Yukon golds. I have a masala curry powder which worked well against the lime zest etc. After using 3 plum tomatoes for the “caramelized” tomatoes, I also added the remains of a can of roasted tomatoes from the freezer. I chose dark rum & we can taste it in the end product. I added a handful of peas and, served with some buttered toasted biscuits, this a great dinner!

  • peaceoutdesign on March 29, 2023

    Good flavor but very "muddy" looking. I wouldn't serve this for company.

  • greedyrosie on June 29, 2020

    This went down very well indeed with my family. I’ve done with and without rum and if you don’t feel like buying a bottle for a few tablespoons, it’s doesn’t wreck the recipe.

  • hillsboroks on January 06, 2020

    Despite the long ingredient list this went fairly quickly once all the ingredients were prepped and ready to go. The flavor is intriguing and we all loved it over rice. I used sweet potatoes instead of squash and cut back on the curry and allspice to suit our tastes and it was just right. Next time I would consider adding some fresh green beans or zucchini near the end of cooking.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    I loved this -- easy one pot meal with a powerful flavor punch.

• Guisado de pollo

  • averythingcooks on April 02, 2022

    I cut this in 1/2 and used frozen butternut squash in place of the pumpkin. She is right - the long list of ingredients does come together quickly but by the end of the simmer, while tasty, it was very one note in colour - some of that blame does lay with my orange bell pepper in place of the red & crushed (rather than chunked) pineapple. Before serving, I added a mix of hot & sweet roasted red peppers, Thai basil and baby spinach. Perhaps mixing the "prominent" cumin with another spice (some type of ground chile?) would be a nice idea but we certainly enjoyed this over rice.

• Indonesian roast spiced chicken with mango and tomato salad

  • foodgloriousfood on April 01, 2022

    I love Diana Henrys recipes and have all of her books, but this didn't work well for me at all. It calls for cooking the chicken in coconut milk turning it over and basting it repeatedly. The coconut milk and constant turning keeps the chicken from crisping up. The end result produced flaccid skin and the chicken didn't have a lot of flavor. The green mango, tomato, grated fresh coconut, chile and cilantro salad was pretty great though!

• Korean fried chicken wings

  • Melyinoz on April 09, 2020

    I usually try to follow a recipe faithfully the first time I make it, before making any tweaks to suit my personal taste. However, in these challenging times, it was not worth running to the shops to try and source gochujang, so I had to make do without. The internet advised me to substitute chilli flakes and paprika instead. I have no baseline to compare these to, so I am unsure how much they differ from the original. Though I can say that I really enjoyed the salty, garlicky, sticky wings. They were a lovely moment of respite from the world and it’s troubles.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    Not a big chicken wing person, so I made this with boneless skinless thighs and it worked great.

  • Skamper on June 28, 2021

    This sauce was delicious, though I used the tried & true Alton Brown steam/bake method for the wings rather than deep frying. I toned down the gochujang to 3T and it was still on the edge of being too spicy. M says his favorite wings are still the Nagoya tebasaki from Japanese Soul Cooking.

  • blazin on April 01, 2020

    Incredible! I cooked all the wings according to the frying instructions (watching very carefully for necessary oil temp adjustments) and then used different seasonings on portions of them. I cut the sauce recipe in half and it was perfect for 6 wings. If I were making a full recipe of chicken with only this sauce I would probably double the sauce.

  • mfranklin125 on March 08, 2017

    This was sooo yummy

  • monkeycounter on November 02, 2020

    One of the most delicious things I’ve ever cooked or eaten! The gochujang is a really important part of it, as it brings an umami depth which chili & paprika won’t achieve on their own. I’ve never managed to make too many of these - even doubling the recipe the whole lot was eaten by four people.

  • lilham on October 08, 2016

    I made it with small pieces of skinless boneless chicken thigh fillets, cut into small pieces. The frying time I needed therefore was much shorter.I didn't use any thermometer. The sauce is delicious. Just the right balance of heat, sweetness and saltiness. The punch I expect from Korean food.

  • slouj on June 22, 2025

    Yes, it’s a little bit faffy to do the double fry of the wings, but the results - crispy, juicy meat bathed in the spicy, pungent sauce - are absolutely delicious.

  • Nacey on February 11, 2018

    I baked my chicken wings first having tossed them in seasoned oil and flour. Then stirred them into the sauce and they were perfect. No frying needed!

• West African chicken and peanut stew

  • Frogcake on February 28, 2017

    A very tasty, hearty stew. My family loved this. I added cubed sweet potato and some tofu; as well , substituted pumpkin for butternut squash. I added the juice of two limes - hard to find decent limes in Eastern Ontario -they are usually fairly juiceless. I will definitely make this one again.

  • e_ballad on April 11, 2021

    Very tasty & can be adapted to be child-friendly by reducing/omitting the chillies.

  • mfranklin125 on March 09, 2017

    I added potato and next time will use pumpkin not butternut squash which I got to see if it will work since there was no pumpkin at the store that day.

  • averythingcooks on November 04, 2022

    I scaled this back to 1/3 which was a sensible amount for the 2 of us (2 dinner bowls + 2 smallish lunches). I subbed in sweet potato for the pumpkin, a fresno chili for the Scotch bonnet & Thai basil for the cilantro. Because I always try to increase our veg intake, I finished this by wilting in baby spinach and adding frozen peas & chopped roasted red pepper. It is also easy to play with the heat (up or down) as necessary. We ate it with fresh naan for dipping and it was REALLY good.

  • grindabod on September 02, 2020

    This dish is forever going to be a special memory for me; it was the first meal I shared with my parents and siblings when I was allowed to have them over again after a period of social restrictions because of the pandemic. It's a great dish to kind of make ahead and just reheat before serving, and easy to make in large quantities too. Everyone loved it (but I guess we would have found anything delicious given the circumstances). I served this with rice and beans and a cucumber/kohlrabi salad by Alison Roman for a touch of freshness.

  • apw2020 on January 21, 2025

    I LOVED this. And it was great as leftovers.

• Chicken with rice, sweet potato and pepper stuffing, coriander and coconut sauce

  • roopopper on May 29, 2020

    Tasty but isn't as hassle-free as the recipe claims - allow plenty of time for it. As someone else pointed out, there is too much rice, and the recipe just says to cut the sweet potato into cubes/squares - these need to be quite fine to ensure they're cooked through.

  • Melyinoz on March 14, 2018

    Oh gosh, this is really tasty. I made it exactly as stated, as I always do the first time I try a recipe. When I make it again, and I will definitely make it again, I will double the rice mixture, as it is delicious and I felt it needed more. I also don't know if I would bother stuffing the rice in the chicken. Sure, it absorbs wonderful chicken juices, but it also slows down the chicken from cooking. I will happily bake the rice, as I did with the leftover rice that couldn't fit in the chicken the first time I made it. The sauce is excellent too. Like a lot of DH's recipes, it ain't low fat, but gosh it is bursting with flavour.

  • e_ballad on January 08, 2020

    Very tasty & quite easy to put together. Made more rice stuffing than would fit in the cavity, so wrapped excess stuffing in foil & baked for the last 30 mins.

• Parsee chicken with apricots

  • embk27 on July 31, 2016

    Lovely sweet curry - husband thought too sweet but I really liked it. I used Kashmiri chilli powder instead of whole dried and worked fine. Good if you like mild curries.

  • Frogcake on January 30, 2017

    My family really like this dish. I used chicken breasts and substituted tomato juice for the water. I would definitely make this one again. Highly recommend serving this with roasted almonds and chopped parsley. I served this with Persian herb Chilau, a recipe in Diana's "Plenty" book.

  • etcjm on January 06, 2020

    Was sure we had apricots. We didn't so this was cooked without. I also didn't have the opportunity to marinade for a long time. No matter. Very good unusual curry. I think with an overnight marinade and a few apricots (just for me) this would be even better. There'll be a fight over lunch tomorrow.

• Chicken in bitter orange and guava adobo

  • peaceoutdesign on January 12, 2024

    This had no redeeming qualities...and it was a bit of time to be that disappointed.

• Roast chicken with peaches, honey and lavender

  • ksg518 on July 20, 2017

    We didn't have lavender honey but did have lavender. Maybe the lavender honey gives it the taste, but I couldn't taste lavender in the dish. Otherwise it was a wonderful, easy chicken dinner with a great sauce. We'll be making this again, perhaps with orange blossom honey and orange zest.

  • veronicafrance on August 21, 2016

    I can't say I really cooked this recipe because a) I didn't put any lavender in it and b) no lavender honey was available here in southern France (yes, really!) so I used heather honey instead. That said, the combination of chicken, peaches and a sweet, caramelized sauce is excellent. Never a duff recipe in this book. Note, you don't need a whole chicken; I used drumsticks.

  • TrishaCP on August 19, 2018

    This was incredibly delicious, especially the lovely peaches. We didn't have lavender sprigs, so just used the lavender honey, but honestly, I think any honey with a prominent floral note would work well.

  • Melyinoz on January 23, 2022

    I’m going to add to the chorus of praise for this recipe. I couldn’t get my hands on any lavender either, but the chicken is delicious without it.

• Roast chicken stuffed with black pudding and apple and mustard sauce

  • Foodycat on October 14, 2018

    So good! I used 1tbs Dijon mustard and 1tbs grainy mustard, which cooked out to a really mellow but tangy sauce. The black pudding isn't scary.

• Chicken stuffed with courgettes and ricotta

  • Melyinoz on February 11, 2023

    Another wonderful recipe by DH. Don’t cook it after work like I did, or you will be eating at 10.30pm like me. This is only due to marinating and draining time. The stuffing is delicious, and there is a lot. My poor chicken went from an A cup to an E cup by the time I had finished stuffing it. It looked quite hilarious as this caused the legs to splay widely and I didn’t have any string to bind it. I savoured every bit of stuffing though. One to repeat. Thanks, DH.

• Chicken breasts with wild mushroom sauce and Puy lentils

  • veronicafrance on October 05, 2020

    Pretty good. You can make lentils and sauce in advance and just cook the chicken at the last minute. I started the lentils first since they take longest. Made the sauce up to the point the stock was reduced. Then I reheated it and added the cream while the chicken was cooking, and the lentils kept warm on the back of the stove.

• Persian chicken with pistachios and mint

  • RogerP on April 22, 2023

    Lovely, subtle mix of flavours.

  • e_ballad on January 03, 2019

    Good but not amazing. Given the expense of the ingredients, I was hoping to be wowed.

  • mpo on December 08, 2021

    This is a nice dish but does take a bit of time. I used white wine for the verjus.

  • sarah_22kzqy on April 05, 2026

    Used half red wine vinegar/water in place of verjuice, very tasty will definitely cook again

• Warm salad of griddled chicken, freekeh, preserved lemon, sour cherries and mint

  • anothersarah on September 15, 2025

    Unusual and interesting flavor combo that was decent but not amazing. Didn't use the mint so maybe that would have mellowed the strong lemon and smoky freekeh. Not a repeat dish for me.

• Salad of Japanese griddled thighs with edamame, sugar snaps and miso dressing

  • KarinaFrancis on September 18, 2019

    A good weeknight dinner, quick to put together, crunchy and flavourful. I marinaded the thighs and froze them which made it a quick to get on the table. The dressing could use a bit of extra punch, certainly worth tinkering with.

• Chicken, asparagus, broad bean and radish salad with dill and mint dressing

  • eliza on July 04, 2018

    This is a really good salad. I found the flavour very mild and subtle, and so I added some extra radishes to it. I didn't use the asparagus since my garden has stopped producing it and instead added some arugula from my friend's garden. I also omitted most of the sugar from the dressing since my vinegar was quite sweet. Otherwise I followed the recipe. The additional radishes and the arugula added some extra spiciness that we liked. The headnote states that green snap beans or sugar snap peas can be substituted for the asparagus when it's out of season. This salad kept well in the fridge for several days, and the flavour even seemed to improve a bit over time; the dressing also holds well in the fridge and has a multitude of uses. I have now made this several times, and I always put in extra radish and arugula. A good lunch dish for guests who tend to avoid carbs.

  • eliza on June 06, 2024

    Made this salad again with cooked pork tenderloin instead of the chicken. I used all the veg from the garden; asparagus, lettuce, radish, and arugula, and I added some oil packed sun dried tomatoes. Really good adaptation and one I will repeat.

  • Hansyhobs on February 18, 2023

    I already had leftover roast chicken so skipped the first part of the salad. Really nice, but salad dressing is verging on a little too sweet for me.

• Chicken, bacon and potato salad with buttermilk and herb dressing

  • KarinaFrancis on March 20, 2023

    I took some liberties with this recipe because a had some roast chicken and I needed a side, so I made the salad without the chicken. I’ve never made buttermilk dressing, and loved the tang, makes a nice change from mayonnaise. A little crumble of blue cheese wouldn’t hurt.

  • averythingcooks on October 02, 2023

    The end result here was good but sadly (for us) the dressing as written was a big miss...thin & very underwhelming in flavour. One taste triggered the "fix". I removed some of the dressing replacing it with Greek yogurt to thicken. In went more fresh garlic, both garlic & onion powder, pickled onion brine for much needed acid, LOTS of fresh parsley, chives & dill and a good shot of hot sauce. Now we had something! I used all the salad ingredients called other than replacing the green beans with sweet red peppers. Each serving was topped with a mix of pickled onions + corn relish & some "salad crunchies". Lastly, I took KarinaFrancis's advice and added blue cheese. Ultimately we had a great main course salad but I certainly wasn't going to to leave the dressing as it was originally.

• Cider-brined chicken with prunes, chestnuts and baby onions

  • joanne761994 on February 06, 2026

    I made this for Christmas dinner 2025. It's incredible. Definitely worth hunting for Agen prunes.

• Crusted chicken and chorizo paella

  • joanne761994 on April 12, 2026

    Excellent dish. The egg crust is superb- brings the whole dish together. I made this for the family, including kids. I halved the amount of chilli flakes but kept the spicy sausage. Next time I think I will substitute the spicy sausage for something plainer but increase the chilli flakes a little. The saffron in the stock was excellent. I expect this will become a family favourite.

  • Melyinoz on April 11, 2020

    I had some chicken thighs that needed to be cooked and thought I would take this recipe out for a spin again. I’m glad I did. I had forgotten how punchy the flavours are. Lock down prevented me from having all the ingredients on hand, but the subs (skinless chicken thighs, peas instead of parsley, cevapcici instead of chorizo) sufficed. A friend who called for a marathon phone session during the cooking and eating of this dish has requested it when we can see each other once again.

  • lilham on December 02, 2020

    This was so delicious. Even my children, who declared they hated paella before they tried this, was won over. Because I’m making this for the kids, I skipped the spicy sausage and the chilli flakes. I also made the crust with just eggs, salt and pepper.

  • Melyinoz on December 30, 2017

    Sooooo much flavour. Apologies for the background in the photo. I originally took the photo just for me and did not plan to share it here. Delicious!

  • Frogcake on April 04, 2016

    This was very flavourful, fantastic combination of textures too. I did not have any paella rice so I did something really unauthentic and used brown basmati rice instead. No worries! Turned out really well. This one is definitely a keeper recipe.

• Royal chicken korma

  • sosayi on January 07, 2019

    I'd echo all of Foodycat's notes. Definitely time consuming, but oh so worth it. Made over Christmas at the family's house and my father (who claimed to not like Indian food) is now a convert. So complex in flavors.

  • Foodycat on April 15, 2015

    My heart sank when I read the method for this - it has several processes - but the flavour is so good it is definitely worthwhile. One of the best curries I've ever made. It's aromatic without being hot, so it's a good one for people who don't think they like spicy food.

  • FJT on August 12, 2022

    My husband has been hankering for a korma as it's been a while since we got back to the UK for an Indian meal, so I thought I would treat him. This was a lot of effort, but the end result didn't taste like the korma of his dreams (apparently!) . It was a decent curry, but we didn't love it. Far too much effort for an ok meal, so won't be repeating.

  • ebalk02 on July 13, 2022

    Indeed a lot of work, but tasty. Ended up needing quite a bit of salt and I added some honey. Not sure I'd make this again.

  • Frenchfoodie on February 22, 2026

    Delicious. Used ready fried onions for first step and only had cashews in (no almonds) but still turned out great.

• Smoked paprika roast chicken, potato wedges and saffron allioli

  • Zosia on April 15, 2015

    Simple but very tasty. The allioli is not something I would normally make but it was wonderful with the chicken and potatoes.

  • e_ballad on August 11, 2018

    This was ok, but not sufficiently memorable to be likely to be repeated. Note that there is a similar recipe in “Food From Plenty” by the same author, albeit with almost half the amount of smoked paprika, which we found was more than enough to flavour the chook.

• Roast chicken with truffles

  • Foodycat on April 15, 2015

    We had this for Easter - really good.

• Chicken fatteh

  • JJ2018 on February 15, 2021

    I really wanted to love this but in honesty it was just missing something for me and I probably wouldn’t make again. For all the stages it was relatively quick and the pilaf rice was very tasty

• Chicken piri piri

  • stef on July 25, 2016

    Used chicken drumsticks. Followed recipe but not as spicy as I thought it would be. Although drumsticks were nice and juicy. They were grilled on bbq

• Barbecued poussins with za'atar and roast pumpkin houmous

  • ksg518 on April 24, 2018

    This is delicious. I used a very good quality za'atar I bought at the farmers market but it looks like the same ingredients and proportions Henry calls for in the recipe. I used thighs instead of whole birds. The chicken was wonderfully flavored and moist. The hummus was OK but I think that may have been the quality of my butternut squash (which is a substitute she lists in the ingredients). You certainly can make the chicken without the hummus.

  • Chrischaplin on January 26, 2023

    I substituted Sweet potato for the squash and it worked really well. Delicious. Didn't have time to marinate for 4 hours but even after an hour marinating, the flavour was great. Good recipe

• Indian-spiced chicken with coriander chutney

  • peaceoutdesign on March 12, 2023

    Not a fan. Even the chutney was unremarkable.

  • angrygreycat on October 16, 2018

    Made this for dinner tonight inside on a grill pan. Very tender and tasty chicken. I used jarred coriander chutney because I had some to use up in the fridge. Served with basmati rice and peas and Naan.

  • Foodycat on June 04, 2015

    I used chicken thigh fillets and cooked them on the barbecue. Really delicious, fragrant, not hot.

• Negima yakitori

  • e_ballad on September 02, 2019

    Delicious. Makes a lot more sauce than required & could easily halve.

  • Lsblackburn1 on May 12, 2019

    Easy teriyaki recipe. Used leeks instead of scallions and grilled for a lot longer than the recipe asked. Excellent.

  • Foodycat on May 15, 2015

    Very good. The spring onions add a lot of flavour and moisture.

• Chicken with dill and leeks

  • Melyinoz on March 14, 2018

    I've made this dish twice now. It's not as punchy in flavour as some of DH's other recipes, but it has its own appeal. It is not a complete meal, it needs an additional side. I like it with steamed broccoli.

  • Foodycat on February 23, 2020

    Very nice - I can see why it's in the comfort food chapter, it's very gentle and soothing. I didn't add the creme fraiche to the sauce, it had enough body on its own. As Melyinoz said, it needs another vegetable, so I did steamed broccolini.

  • emma_clare on December 21, 2022

    I agree with others - very comforting, rich and tasty. I used sour cream as I didn't have creme fraiche, and served with boiled carrots. I upped the potatoes and still only had enough to serve four - the 500g she suggests seems far too little to serve 8 as indicated in the recipe!

• Chicken with pumpkin, cream and Gruyère

  • Tadpole100 on November 26, 2025

    Gorgeous recipe but very rich. I would reduce the Gruyère next time.

  • e_ballad on July 02, 2018

    Decadent & delicious. Lots of pots & pans, but very simple to prepare.

  • Allie80 on April 20, 2019

    We gave this 7/10: * Tasty and rich, not a show-off dish but a good everyday comforting one * Fairly easy to follow recipe, a few adjustments to timing and clearer guidance on oven temperature, pan heat, meat quantity and assembly of the final dish would be helpful and make it even easier * Easy to source ingredients, nothing that you couldn’t get in any supermarket * No tricky or cheffy techniques required – I think almost anyone could cook this one * I served with wholegrain rice and cavolo nero, which I thought worked well but ‘him indoors’ said he’d have preferred it with pasta

  • Astrid5555 on October 30, 2016

    I just caught my husband drinking the leftover sauce out of the baking dish. We all loved the pumpkin which is roasted until caramelized and then transfered to a baking dish together with the cooked chicken thighs topped with cream and cheese and baked until browned and bubbly. Served with pasta as recommended for a child-friendly version. We were not that keen on the chicken though, so next time I would leave it out and just make the sauce with the pumpkin and serve over pasta. A keeper!

• Soothing North Indian chicken

  • Foodycat on April 17, 2015

    A rare misstep - this just didn't do it for me. It went beyond gentle and soothing to bland. The leftovers were better: I added a couple of cloves and a few cardamom pods and a bit of turmeric and mixed it with rice for a cheaty biryani.

• Chicken in the pot with vegetables and barley

  • e_ballad on December 03, 2018

    We found this quite plain. Also, you have to be a big leek fan as this was definitely the dominant component.

  • saladdays on October 24, 2016

    A simple and very tasty traditional style recipe. It makes loads and any leftovers will make a delicious chicken soup. I can't imagine anyone not liking it. Children will love it!

• Chicken and pumpkin laksa

  • Foodycat on May 18, 2015

    The quality of your cooked chicken will have a big impact - I used leftover piri piri chicken which we'd cooked in a Weber with lots of hickory smoke and it was really delicious. If the chicken you use doesn't have a lot of flavour I'd double the aromatics in the spice paste.

• Vietnamese chicken and sweet potato curry

  • Foodycat on April 15, 2015

    I added a couple of courgettes, cut into batons, when I added the chicken. A really good way to use up leftover cooked chicken.

  • Mayandbill on March 24, 2020

    Yes to this. Really easy, really tasty. Added a pepper and some frozen peas to boost the veg.

  • Pamsy on August 03, 2020

    Nice, easy way to use up leftover chicken and the sweet potatoes gave it a lovely colour.

  • AndieEats on May 19, 2021

    Super easy to throw together, and delicious. My onions took a bit longer to get to ‘pale gold’ but it wasn’t a problem since the rice got started late. Feeding a couple extra mouths, so we bumped up sweet potatoes to 2 lbs and an extra onion, and the chicken was still plenty! Served with sambal olek for those who wanted to make it spicier.

• Chicken, fennel and pancetta gratin

  • Pamsy on October 08, 2018

    Very good, especially on a miserable Sunday evening. Easy to put together, I added leeks because they needed using up. Good leftover recipe!

• Chicken, date and lentil brown rice pilaf with saffron butter

  • Pamsy on May 05, 2019

    Good way to use up leftover roast chicken. Unfortunately my lentils were overcooked although I followed the packet cooking times! Next time check after 25 mins. It was just luck that I had dates, otherwise I'd use sultanas. Used white basmati rice and didn't use saffron as I'm not a fan. All in all it was an ok dish, but I think next time I would add ground cinnamon to boost the flavour. Certainly worth a second chance.

  • stephengk on September 07, 2016

    One of my favourite ways to use up cooked chicken. Think the saffron and orange give distinct flavour. Surprised about other comments that lacks taste. Also good way to use veg in place of chicken. I cook the rice in boiling water for 12 mins then drain and rinse. Mix togethr with other ingredients and put in pan with cloth and lid on and cook very gently for about 45 mins. Will hold for longer if needed. Simliar to classic pilaf recipe.

  • adewar on February 17, 2017

    This recipe turned out very well for me. I must admit I cheated a little and used a rotisserie chicken and a pouch of pre-cooked puy lentils to speed up the preparation. I found that the orange gave a really good flavour, and I used toasted flaked almonds as a garnish, which provided a nice contrast. I cooked the whole thing in my rice cooker.

  • sharifah on July 12, 2015

    I halved the recipe.... rice took longer to cook, I had to keep adding water. I should've checked the water with my finger at the beginning and would've realised that the water was not enough. Couldn't really taste the dates, pistachio nuts wasn't enough to provide the crunchy texture. All in all, it was a bit tasteless. Quite disappointed, will not be making this again.

  • Silverscreensuppers on May 22, 2022

    Enjoyed this, subtle flavours but tasty. Used pre-cooked lentils for speed. Used white basmati and left out the saffron. Nice and orangey…

  • Foodycat on April 16, 2020

    A pretty tasty way to use leftover chicken. I felt it was a bit sweet so I added some dried chilli to balance it a bit, and I think the yoghurt is essential.

  • joneshayley on October 25, 2020

    We loved this. Used sultanas and ready cooked lentils. Great East midweek meal. Made in instant pot.

  • aargle on April 18, 2020

    I was a little disappointed with this dish as I found it to be somewhat bland despite liberal seasoning and the addition of a pinch of chilli flakes. It could certainly be improved (In my opinion) with some extra spices but probably won’t bother repeating.

  • TrishaCP on April 25, 2020

    The flavors were absolutely delicious, but the method of cooking rice did not work well for me.

• Chicken, leek and pea speltotto with vermouth

  • veronicafrance on March 22, 2021

    I made this with risoni (rice-shaped pasta) and used mushrooms instead of peas. It was deliciously creamy with just a spoonful of crème fraîche stirred in at the end (no butter, I used olive oil for the initial frying). If you do this you'll need less stock and it will cook more quickly (about 25 minutes). Another good use for leftover chicken.

  • Zosia on April 17, 2015

    Great end use for leftover chicken. I made it without the butter and creme fraiche so it was less rich than intended, but still very tasty.

  • JJ2018 on June 18, 2019

    This was nice though I don’t think I would rush to make again. Spelt risotto is as she says not as creamy as regular risotto and I think this just cemented for me I prefer traditional. Added plenty of Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon.

• Bird pie

  • lou_weez on May 23, 2021

    The capers were a great little addition to this chicken pie. Quick and easy to throw together. I made individual pies using my pie maker and they were a big hit.

• Chicken, leek and cider pie with mature cheddar and hazelnut crumble

  • averythingcooks on September 14, 2019

    As others have said, the NA book has a ratio problem re: the butter / flour in the roux BUT it was pretty easy to fix. I added another chunk of butter before the milk (for me equal parts 2% milk & 5% cream). I got it as smooth as possible and simply pressed it through a sieve resulting in a silky smooth (& delicious with the cider!) sauce. Some carrots & celery went in with the leeks and I finished with frozen peas & chopped red peppadews. But the real take away here is the use of a nut (for me almonds) & cheddar crumble. We both loved the flavour/texture of the topping and brainstormed other ways to use it. My book now has notes on how to properly make the roux (see online recipe) / good add-ins / possible substitutions and this is a definite repeat.

  • KarinaFrancis on October 02, 2022

    This was so damn good! Chicken, leeks and cider is a classic combination for a reason, they work brilliantly together. I read the previous comments and decided to follow my instinct with the béchamel base and luckily it turned out just right. The crumble topping is amazing, I had a bit too much so it’s stashed in the freezer for an emergency.

  • Barb_N on October 11, 2022

    A recent note brought me to this recipe. Fortunately I read all of them and avoided a major problem with the roux. I still questioned the technique of adding cold milk to the roux off the heat and then heating it up. I did what I normally do, keeping it on the heat and I’m glad. After several dirty pots, pans and cutting boards (I cooked the chicken specifically for this recipe so that added some steps) I was beginning to question the whole endeavor. In spite of having to scale down the crumble due to running out of breadcrumbs, this was SOOOOOOO good. The crumble was the best but the flavors of the cider and mustard played their part beautifully. Still a project, but so worth it.

  • Lsblackburn1 on March 24, 2022

    Based on these notes, I only used 1/4 cup of flour in the roux and that worked. Did the crumble in the food processor. Used a Coastal cheddar and the larger crumbly pieces were the best part. I think the next day’s leftovers were even more delicious.

  • Bloominanglophile on March 22, 2020

    I chose this recipe to use up some leek greens I had languishing in the fridge (trying to be even more thrifty these days). I almost had enough, so I supplemented with some white and red onions I also needed to use up. This is a nice homey meal--one I think could be described as British comfort food. It is a bit rich, so I served it with an arugula salad. I used the online Telegraph recipe, which called for 50g of flour--had no trouble making the sauce for this dish. Don't forget to season well!

  • TrishaCP on November 08, 2021

    This was so tasty and comforting- a big win in my house. I had no issues with the roux (I used the 50 grams of flour and a bit more butter). I added one carrot to the leek mixture, and I would add two carrots next time (ran out of time) and also some thyme.

  • sharifah on December 08, 2016

    Creamy, tasty dish with a cheesy nutty crunchy top; what's not to like?! But in making it...the roux didn't work very well, it was lumpy and I think there wasn't enough butter for the amount of flour specified. I would add more butter next time to make sure the flour melts properly. But in the overall scheme of things, you can't see the 'lumps'! and the sauce thickened anyway...if I was forced to make a complaint I would say the dish could do with more sauce. A touch more milk, or possibly chicken stock? I used Pecorino instead of Parmesan.

  • chawkins on December 18, 2016

    I used the on-line recipe and had no problem with the roux. The crumb topping was scrumptious. The filling was slightly sweet because of the cider, but who knew cider and leek would go so well together. I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey for the pie.

  • stockholm28 on December 11, 2016

    Ugh. this was a case of bad conversion from weight to volume measures in the U.S. edition. The U.S. recipe makes the roux with 2 Tbsp butter and 1/2 cup of flour which is just entirely too much. The bechamel was too thick and tasted too much of flour. After making this recipe, I searched for the U.K. version as I was sure there was a conversion error. Sure enough, the U.K. version calls for 50g of flour. I weighed half a cup of flour and it came to 72g. No wonder this did not work. While this is called a "pie"' there is no pastry crust involved so it can easily be scaled and it comes together fairly quickly. I cut the recipe in half. I think this recipe has promise and could be a good use of leftover chicken. I just felt there was too much flour in both the bechamel and the crumble topping.

  • Foodycat on August 13, 2018

    The crumble was fabulous - short and cheesy and delicious. The roux was fine (used the UK book) and we really liked the lightness of the half cider, half milk sauce.

  • Frenchfoodie on February 25, 2017

    Used the UK book and the roux worked well. I liked it as a change though my husband wasn't all that keen, finding the crumble a bit dry and the cider too sweet (though I used dry). A solid 4 out of 5.

  • e_ballad on July 29, 2019

    A very tasty, quick midweek meal. I deviated slightly by substituting sage for parsley, as it needed using up (can highly recommend).

  • ellencooks on February 09, 2017

    Definitely too much flour in the roux and too much topping. It would also have been helpful to include a pan size. I halved the recipe and it was a thin layer on a 9x9 pan.

• Freekeh with chilli-fried chicken, cumin and coriander-roast winter vegetables, tahini dressing

  • Foodycat on September 29, 2021

    I read the recipe 3 times and couldn't see how the chicken is chilli-fried - the chilli goes on the cauliflower. So I added some extra chilli flakes with the chicken and onion. This dish has several parts but the most time consuming is preparing the vegetables. Then they roast while the freekeh is simmering and when everything is ready the chicken gets fried to re-heat. Really good use for leftovers and elegant enough to serve to company.

• Chicken and freekeh broth with herbs

  • e_ballad on July 02, 2019

    I really enjoyed this fresh-tasting soup, which was packed with flavour. I think the inclusion of dill led to the rest of my family being less enamoured.

• Ginger-chicken meatballs in broth with greens

  • averythingcooks on February 07, 2024

    These meatballs were perfect for last night's pan of glazed meatballs + veg & noodles. A generous amount of garlic & ginger + soy sauce for moistening provided good flavour. I always par-bake meatballs before adding to sauces and I did add a small handful of fresh breadcrumbs...and oh yes...I made them with ground pork :)

  • hillsboroks on May 02, 2020

    This dish had a good flavor punch and was relatively easy to put together once all the ingredients were chopped and measured. I did not want as much liquid in the end dish so I halved the stock and it was perfect served over rice. I ground boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the food processor for the meatballs and left them in the refrigerator for about an hour before browning them. I had a lot of pak choi from my CSA box to use up as well as Hakurei turnips. I added large matchstick size pieces of the turnips to the pan with the pak choi and they cooked perfectly. We did add a bit of fish sauce to our bowls at the table and it brought the taste up to perfection.

• Vietnamese chicken pho

  • ellencooks on November 22, 2018

    I made this with turkey broth and turkey from our early Thanksgiving. Very good!

• Portland Press Herald

  ...exactly what I want as summer fades away. After the success I had with this first recipe, I believe her “Bird in Hand” is going to amount to many, many more birds in my oven and on my stovetop.

  Full review