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Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

slow weekend sleepy chicken lentil curry

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…i’m living for the weekends at the moment… life is quite full-on and the joy of lazing in bed without that dreadful feeling of guilt is such a wonderfully simple pleasure… and once the weekend comes its as though everything is done in slow-mo, including the cooking… which is just fine by me… I love shuffling around the house, slowly doing my chores, making coffee, watching TV, catching up on blogs I haven’t had time to read and maybe, if I get enough time, i’ll steal my self away to a comfy chair with a good end-of-the-world apocalypse book to get lost in, dreaming of a time when deadlines won’t exist…

… and when i’m not battling plague-infected zombies in my overactive middle-aged mind i’m thinking about what I can eat next… and I love rooting through the food cupboards thinking about what I can make with those odds and sods clinging to the dark corners like an oddly neglected single dryer sock, somehow reluctant to be included in whatever i’m planning for my next meal and this includes that packet of dried mixed lentils that’s been sitting in there for the last six months… you know that packet… the type that needs 24 hours soaking but whenever you remember to use them it’s always too late… well that’s exactly what the weekends are for my friends…

slow weekend sleepy chicken curry
i’m so lazy, this can barely be called an authentic curry but the essence is there… and this really is something that goes into the oven on Saturday morning to be eaten much later that day or even on Sunday… which is just what I did… cooking it slowly on Saturday for 4 hours and then finishing it off at Sunday lunchtime with a further 2 hours before consuming… slowly… in front of a good old-fashioned zombie movie… such simple pleasures…
you’ll need a large casserole dish or pan with a tight fitting lid
1 packet of dried mixed lentils and pulses – soaked for 24 hours
a mix pack of chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 onion – roughly chopped
2 carrots – roughly chopped
2 celery sticks – roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic – finely crushed
1 pint of vegetable stock
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
olive oil
heat some olive oil and a little butter in the pan or casserole and gently saute the onions and garlic for a minute or so until beginning to soften, then throw in the spices and gently heat through for a further 5 mins or so, stirring so the spices don’t burn.
add the rest of the veg and the soaked lentils to the onions and mix it all up, then place the chicken pieces on top and pour over the stock.  You should have enough stock to reach halfway up the chicken.
cover tightly and place in an oven on 100C for 4 hours, then give it a good stir, add a little more stock if needed and cook again for a further hour at 100C, then remove the lid and cook for a further half hour at 100 then a final half hour at 180C to get nice and brown.
the chicken should be falling off the bones like a decomposing zombie… am I obsessed today?  Could it be because The Walking Dead is back on the TV tonight…
eat slowly and of course enjoy!

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Comments

  2. Recipe Junkie says

    Can't say I share your enthusiasm for all things Zombie, but I do like the look of your chicken, and I love the sound of your lazy weekend – just make the book a Patrick Gale and the movie a good old fashioned Ealing Comedy and I'm there – just another 12 years to go before I get rid of the children…

  3. Janice Pattie says

    I saw the picture in my Google reader and thought “Ah Dom's been cooking chicken thighs again!” You should write a book on all the different ways to serve chicken thighs! I plan to have a slow weekend but somehow it seems such a waste, you'll find me in the kitchen!

  7. Magnolia Verandah says

    How I long for a weekend of shuffling around and slow cooking. I always seem to be rushing around with family, chores, kids, even socialising is a chore sometimes – how terrible is that. Time to stop I think and this type of cooking is my favourite – except its too too hot at the moment …..wonder if I can adapt it for the BBQ?

  8. Shu Han says

    hai, dom, I feel you. my life's been so hectic that I think of dates in terms of deadlines, not dates. It's good you have the weekends (and SHIT AMAZING SLEEPY CHICKEN LENTIL CURRY) to look forward to; it just doesn't stop for me, but I'm hoping things lighten up in a few weeks time. anyway, thanks for sharing as usual (I don't know how you find the time you crazy multi-tasking being) and take care x

  9. From Beyond My Kitchen Window says

    Lentils are so filling and so inexpensive. This is a wonderful weekend meal for sure. The aroma must be wonderful and to think you get to enjoy the smell of it cooking for hours is a plus. I usually make lentil soup at least once a month. Another great chicken dish!