Instead of the usual eggs etc., Mrs J thought she’d share a couple of recipes this Easter that are a little Easter-y without being exclusively for the main Easter meals.

This doesn’t mean that there won’t be lamb and eggs in this house over Easter. But let’s face it, that’s just one dinner (or maybe three, depending on the size of your roast and your tolerance for leftovers). Maybe you’d like to do this one for Saturday lunch. Or perhaps Easter Monday dinner. Or not at all.

It’s up to you!

This dish has a number of things going for it. One of them being it’s a one-pot dish. So choose a big pot/pan that you’re also happy to serve from when you’re done.

The main ingredient in the dish is chicken. Mrs J used a whole chicken that she cut into pieces (one whole chicken served three). You could also just buy ready cut thighs and clubs. You want it to be on the bone and with the skin on though, to get the intended flavour.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil and a knob of butter in your pan. Add your pieces of chicken and brown them on all sides.

Season lightly with salt and pepper at this stage. Turn the heat down to medium.

Cut potatoes and carrots in medium-large pieces. Mrs J used 300g small (washed but unpeeled) potatoes and 100g carrots. Add them to the pan and toss everything around a bit.

Let everything fry another minute or so. Then pour over 5dl of chicken stock. Cook it all under a lid for about 10min or until carrots and potatoes are starting to soften. Then remove the lid and cook for a couple of more minutes to reduce the stock.

If you’re using chicken breasts you might take them out somewhere at this point and add them back with the veg later. Pieces on the bone need their time to cook while breasts tend to go dry if left too long. You want all your chicken cooked through fully, of course. But that doesn’t mean you want dry meat.

Prepare the rest of your vegetables. Mrs J used 100g broccoli, cut into smallish bouquets, 100g courgette (or squash) cut into wedges, 100g haricot verts and 100g peas for three people.

Add 2dl of creme fraiche 15% to the pan. Stir the sauce through thoroughly. Add the rest of the vegetables.

Put back any chicken you may have removed earlier and steam under the lid for 5-6 min until everything is as soft as you like it and the chicken is fully cooked (check at the bone). Give the sauce and the vegetables a taste and season with more salt and pepper as required. Finally scatter 1/2 tsp of dried tarragon (or fresh, chopped tarragon if you have it) over the dish.

Serve with some bread.

Enjoy the Easter holidays!