Spring chicken in a pot

Spring chicken in a pot

By Mary Cadogan
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(235 ratings)
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Prep: 20 mins Cook: 45 mins

Easy

Serves 4

Casseroles aren't just for winter – this light, vibrant one-pot is packed with spring veg and herby pesto

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable
  • Healthy

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal339
  • fat10g
  • saturates3g
  • carbs27g
  • sugars12g
  • fibre8g
  • protein36g
  • salt0.5g
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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • 1 onion, chopped
    Onion

    Onion

    un-yun

    Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…

  • 500g boneless, skinless chicken thigh
  • 300g small new potato
    New potatoes

    New potatoes

    n-ew po-tate-oes

    New potatoes have thin, wispy skins and a crisp, waxy texture. They are young potatoes and…

  • 425ml low-salt vegetable stock (such as Kallo low-salt vegetable stock cubes)
  • 350g broccoli, cut into small florets
    Broccoli

    Broccoli

    brok-o-lee

    Like cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli is a brassica and is sometimes known by its Italian name…

  • 350g spring green, shredded
    Spring greens

    Spring greens

    sp-ring gr-eens

    Spring greens are the first cabbages of the year. They have fresh, loose heads without the hard…

  • 140g petits pois
  • bunch spring onion, sliced
    Spring onions

    Spring onion

    sp-ring un-yun

    Also known as scallions or green onions, spring onions are in fact very young onions, harvested…

  • 2 tbsp pesto
    Pesto

    Pesto

    Pess-toh

    Pesto is a generic Italian name for any sauce made by pounding ingredients together.

    The…

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan. Add the onion, gently fry for 5 mins until softened, add the chicken, then fry until lightly coloured. Add the potatoes, stock and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, then bring to the boil. Cover, then simmer for 30 mins until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked. Can be frozen at this point.

  2. Add the broccoli, spring greens, petit pois and spring onions, stir well, then return to the boil. Cover, then cook for 5 mins more, stir in the pesto and heat through.

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Comments, questions and tips

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Chareve29's picture
Chareve29
25th May, 2018
4.05
All the family love this. I add or change some of veg depending on what I have and sometimes use chicken stock.
jc10000
24th Apr, 2018
2.05
unexciting even with extra pesto
Deborah Cheyne's picture
Deborah Cheyne
19th Feb, 2018
5.05
Been cooking this now for ever.. I use more green Pesto than recommended and brown the boneless thighs for longer and on a higher heat. When first did this a few times it was very pale, now got the knack and it looks and tastes great. I have been substituting savoy cabbage instead of spring greens and much better. Highly recommend.
siany1
28th Sep, 2017
5.05
My family really enjoy this dish. It has a lovely light freshness to it and it is so simply to make.
traceyal
26th Jul, 2017
1.05
Way too much veg if you go by the recipe and the stock won't cover it. Had to use more stock, cooks ok but is bland and watery. Non of the family liked it - apart from the dogs and chickens!
Corinne_s13
8th Feb, 2017
3.05
For a "healthy" dish it was swimming in fat... probably too much pesto
Twinklebum99
25th Jan, 2017
4.05
I used drumsticks as that's what I had and added green beans and spinach rather than greens. Overall really tasty and will make again
rachel_k
9th Sep, 2016
Boyfriend and I really enjoyed this. Stuck to the recipe exactly (except for the substitution of kale for the spring greens - couldn't find them anywhere) and it was very flavoursome and surprisingly very filling! I wish I'd heeded the comments and used a bigger pot though.
lizleicester
10th May, 2016
3.05
Nice, but rather dull even with all the veg added. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs but otherwise followed the recipe and don't think I'll do it again despite it being so healthy.
katycooks's picture
katycooks
18th Apr, 2016
4.05
Okay, the second time around, I used Kale instead of broccoli and I added broad beans. I added the potatoes earlier (so they cooked for longer) and could be sort of mashed into the broth. My "tablespoons" of pesto were extremely generous too. Overall, I cooked the whole thing for longer to reduce the "liquor" (but put the broad beans, petit pois and spring onions in at the very last minute.) And it was delicious. (Though not exactly stunning to look at!)

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Bethanyb7811
4th Jul, 2017
Would this work in a slow cooker? Just add the veg in with it all and slow cook?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
5th Jul, 2017
Thanks for your question. Yes you can cook this in a slow cooker. For tips on how to adapt the recipe, take a look at the following feature: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/10-top-tips-using-slow-cooker We'd suggest adding the second batch of vegetables in the last 30 mins of cooking. Be aware that broccoli tends to discolour a little when it's cooked with a lid on but you will still need to use your lid.
ayaystar
30th Sep, 2016
Anyone add bacon to this recipe?
abarnybox
28th Oct, 2013
Do you think I could just leave out the chicken? or maybe swap it for something else? my girlfriend is vegetarian and i've tried fake chicken and it's not the best of stuff :P
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
28th May, 2014
Hi there. Why not try swapping the chicken for some sliced large flat mushrooms and chunkly slices of courgette too? Enjoy.
morriliz
15th May, 2014
You could try replacing the chicken with some extra potatoes??
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