CHICKEN À LA CRÈME PAPRIKA

Chicken with an accompanying sauce is a recurring dish at Downton, right from the very first episode in which Daisy nearly garnishes it with salt of sorrel

– a poisonous cleaning product.

Serves 4-6

2tsp butter or vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1tsp paprika

½tsp salt

160ml (5½fl oz) tomato passata,

mixed with 2tbsp water

1 whole chicken, about 1.4kg (3lb

2oz), skin removed, cut into pieces

300ml (½pt) double cream

Lemon wedges, to garnish

Fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, to

garnish (optional) Melt the butter in a large, wide pan over a low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned and soft. Add the paprika and salt and stir well, then add the passata. Add the chicken pieces and turn to cover them well with the sauce. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 45-60 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. It is ready when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh away from bone registers 74°C, or when the leg meat is beginning to pull away from the bone. If the pan starts to dry out, add a little water, but be careful not to thin the sauce too much as it needs to be thick and gooey.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a warmed serving plate. Add the cream to the sauce, stir well, and heat through, being careful it doesn’t boil. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a jug or gravy boat. Garnish the chicken with the lemon wedges and parsley, if using, and serve the sauce alongside.