CHICKEN THIGHS SERVED ON CREAMY MUSTARD LENTILS

CHICKEN THIGHS SERVED ON CREAMY MUSTARD LENTILS

Lentils are full of nutrition. They are the good source of vitamins and rich in fibre and protein. Mostly lentils are found in dry form in any grocery store. `They are very easy to prepare. Soak them for a couple of hours or overnight, cook them and can be used in salads, soups, stews or any form of side dishes. Here, I cooked lentils with mustard sauce and cream. They turned out very nice. The tang of mustard sauce with cream  compliments the dish and goes well with chicken, sausages or lamb. The extra amount of  plain lentils can be prepared and frozen to use on one of the busy days. Great meal vegetarian meal to serve with grilled halloumi or tofu with rice or bread

Serves 4

Time 45 minutes

250 grms lentils soaked overnight

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 medium onion chopped

1 tbs parsley plus extra for garnishing

500 ml chicken/vegetable stock

1 tbs grainy mustard

1/4 cup cream

1 tsp rosemary

1 tbs lemon juice and some wedges 

8 chicken thighs with skin on and bone in

2 tbs oil

Salt & pepper

Method

Heat the 1 tbs oil in a wide pan. Brown the well-seasoned chicken thighs, about 4 minutes on the skin side and 2 to 3 minutes on the other. Remove them aside.

In the same pan, heat the left over 1 tbs oil and cook garlic and onions till softened but not browned for about 5 minutes. 

Add the lentils and the rosemary. Stir and mix to coat well with oil. Pour in the stock. Season the lentils and let it simmer for 20 to 25 minutes till the water has evaporated and lentils are cooked. (Lentils should have a bite, not mushy). If in case there is more water and the lentils are cooked, you can spoon out the water or if the water is less you can add a splash of water as needed. 

When done, mix in the cream and mustard sauce. Bring it to a boil, Add lemon juice and parsley. Give it a stir.

Return the chicken thighs on the lentils and cook further in the preheated oven 200'C till chicken thighs are cooked through. 

Serve the lentils on a plate with two chicken thighs on top with some extra parsley, lemon wedges, and crusty bread to mop up the plate.