One-Pan Sage-and-Onion Chicken and Sausage

When Debbie, Natasha and Girliechef (of many names) started the I Heart Cooking Clubs, I looked forward to it but I had no idea who Nigella Lawson was.  (No, I have never seen any Food Network show except on the Internet)  I had to ask myself, what if she did not have a varied enough group of recipes?  At that moment, I realized, I had one of her cook books.  I had put it aside for a contest or give-away but had not really looked at it.  I had one of Gliada’s and didn’t see a need for it.

Nigella Express  I started to look through it, noting recipes, I wanted to make.  Then, I checked Food Network and found many more.  O.K., I should have done that a long time ago.  Never too late, fortunately and I am now a fan of Nigella’s and love many of her recipes.  She seems down to earth and mentions, at times, “If you can’t get such and such, use the frozen or the canned.”  What a pleasure, not having to search the stores for an ingredient, they may not have.

Last week, I had made a recipe for potatoes, onions, sausages and bell peppers and it was delicious.  I thought I would repeat it but while looking for a one pot recipe, this popped out at me.  Look at what Nigella titled it.  How did she know?   Does, the plastic bag count?

Bottom line:  I cheated and tasted this.  It is for the weekend but I had to try it.  It was delicious.  It sounded a bit weird, mixing chicken and sausage but it is not.  I substituted boneless chicken breasts for the chicken pieces.  I may still add some bell peppers for color and taste.  I did not use Worcestershire sauce and I don’t know what English mustard is so I used Dijon.  I guess, I should have looked it up in Bittman.  The man is a genius.

Let’s discover my recipe.

Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 large onion or 2 small onions
• 1/2 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin)
• 2 teaspoons English mustard  ?
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lemon
• 1 (4-pound) chicken, jointed into 10 pieces   cutlets
• 12 sausages (I had five)
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

Directions

Peel and cut the onion into eighths, and put into a freezer bag with the oil, mustard, dried sage, a good grinding of pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Cut lemon in half, squeeze juice into bag, and then cut the halves into eighths and add them. Squidge everything around to mix (the mustard needs help to combine) and then add the chicken pieces. Leave to marinade in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to 2 days.   Go back and read those words again – squidge everything– is that descriptive or not?

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature in its marinade. ( I used a lower temperatuer.)

Arrange the chicken pieces in a roasting tin skin side up with the marinade, including all the bits and pieces, and tuck the sausages around them. Sprinkle the fresh sage leaves over the chicken and sausages and then put the tin into the oven to cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the sausages over half way through to color them evenly.  (shorter cooking time for breasts)

Arrange the chicken and sausages on a large platter.