One Pot Paleo Lemon Chicken

658:full658:full

One can’t help but love a one-pot chicken dish that always receives rave reviews from the family, has been cooked so frequently you’ve lost count of the times it has been made, and packs a  nutritional punch above its weight! Every cook needs a few great quick-and-easy recipes, wouldn’t you agree? And this paleo lemon chicken dish, with its fragrant tang of citrus and sweetly braised fennel, lifts “winner winner chicken dinner” to a whole new, delicious level.

A bowl of lemons in the home is like adding a vase of flowers - soul-lifting happy vibes

A bowl of lemons in the home is like adding a vase of flowers – soul-lifting happy vibes

Add to this the smell of garlic and rosemary wafting through from the kitchen to your front door, and this is guaranteed to tempt the hungriest customer even before the first mouthful. I often make this as a weekday dinner, as it’s very quick to prepare. I love that there are not too many ingredients involved, and that fresh fennel is always easy to find as the weather starts to cool and prepare us for winter. Our old lemon tree is literally covered in hundreds of lemons, and that too is always a signal that it is time to make Lemon Chicken, Lemon Cheesecake, Lemon Bliss Balls… but I digress!

One pot lemon chicken - fast, paleo, gluten-free and comfortingly good

One pot lemon chicken – fast, paleo, gluten-free and comfortingly snug

I suspect that Mother Nature caringly arranges for lemons to ripen during the Autumn season, considering they are absolutely loaded in vitamin C, folate and powerful antioxidants. These all play a key role in the body’s defense system, and work to fight off winter colds and viruses by keeping our body artillery strong during the flu season. In addition scientists recognise lemons for their extraordinary capabilities of possibly lowering the risk of stroke, fighting against the formation of free radicals known to cause cancer, and increasing iron absorption. As an added bonus they’re fabulous for boosting a healthy complexion due to vitamin C’s big role in making collagen. Another perfect example of nature lending a helping hand.

One-Pot Paleo Lemon Chicken

2 red onions, peeled and cut into eighths
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large fennel, thinly sliced
zest of 1 lemon
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon rosemary, chopped
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 chicken thighs, skin on bone in
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

  • Preheat the oven to 200C
  • Remove fronds from fennel, and reserve a few of the delicate branches for later
  • Place onions and garlic into large baking tray
  • Slice fennel, either by hand or with a mandolin for easy consistency, and place in baking tray
  • Add lemon to the tray, along with the rosemary, a generous pinch of sea salt and cracked pepper
  • Pour over 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and, using your hands Jamie Oliver style, toss the vegetables together until thoroughly mixed and combined
  • Place the chicken thighs gently on top of the vegetable mixture skin side up, pour over the remaining tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to your liking
  • Place in oven and bake for 27-30 minutes, until the chicken is bronzed on top and cooked through
  • Allow to rest for ten minutes, scatter with torn fennel fronds and serve