Entertaining at home need not be a daunting task. The trick is to divide the cooking over several days as much as possible. And it is never a good idea to cook too much. Making allowances for second helpings is a good rule but anything beyond that would be excessive. Jay and Jet David were my lunch guests today and I cooked two simple-to-prepare dishes for them. One is this baked chicken in sour cream which was ready in one hour flat. The other dish, my version of Spanish cocido, was cooked in segments. The beef was boiled yesterday and cooked as a stew this morning. Presto! instant reunion over lunch.
I’ll make this entry short and sweet and give you the recipe directly. My schedule over the next four or five days is going to be tight but I want to post all my holiday cooking ideas just the same. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and let sit in the fridge for about an hour. You can even do this a day ahead and let the chicken sit in the fridge overnight.
Place the chicken side by side, skin side up, on a baking tray and grill in a 190oC oven for 30 minutes. While the chicken cooks, peel and finely slice the onions. Put the cream in a glass bowl and pour the lemon juice in without stirring. After 30 minutes, take the chicken out of the oven but do not turn the oven off. Transfer the chicken pieces to an ovenproof dish. This is the dish that will go directly to the dining table so do your choosing now.
Scatter the onion slices over the chicken. Place a tablespoonful of butter over each piece of chicken. Pour the soured cream over the chicken and onions. Cut a piece of aluminum foil slightly larger than the baking dish. Cut out two or three holes (these will serve as vents) about half an inch in diameter. Cover the baking dish tightly, tucking the foil around it.