Ina Garten Has Nigella Lawson to Thank for Perfecting Her Chicken in a Pot Recipe

Matt Lardie
Matt Lardie
Matt Lardie is a freelance writer based in Durham, NC. He has previously written for publications like The Kitchn, Bon Appetit, Robb Report, and Wine Enthusiast, as well as serving as a past judge for the both James Beard Foundation Awards and the World Cheese Awards. When he's not eating he can be found at home with his husband, pets, and far too many houseplants.
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published Mar 24, 2023
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Ina Garten
Credit: Photo: Getty Images, Graphic: Kitchn

I love legends helping legends. T’Challa fighting alongside Captain America against Thanos. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett teaming up to record an entire album. Tom Brady and Gronk headlining an NFL power team. I can go on for days about my love for powerhouse heroes getting together to fight for the greater good.

So it should come as no surprise that when I heard one of my cooking idols, the legendary Ina Garten, give props to another of my idols, Nigella Lawson, that I had to dig a bit deeper. As it turns out, Mrs. Garten — the queen of roast chicken — turned to Ms. Lawson for help when trying to perfect a new chicken dish.

In fall 2022 Garten was on Today demoing her recipe for Chicken in a Pot with Orzo and as she explained while making the dish, she tried for years to perfect a similar dish but always wound up with something more akin to soup. After consulting Lawson’s cookbook, Cook, Eat, Repeat, Garten took the British home cooking legend’s advice to both brown the chicken beforehand (thus amping up the flavor) and to add orzo while the chicken is cooking. The latter of which to help thicken the liquid.

This is far from the only lesson I’ve learned from Garten over the years, but for someone who cooks at her level to admit on TV that she needed some help — and found it through the advice of another cooking legend — is refreshing. We don’t gatekeep the kitchen!

I’m also a massive fan of Cook, Eat, Repeat and Lawson’s recipes in general (like this one for her savory Parmesan French Toast), so hearing Ina name-drop Nigella was music to my ears. And now, I’m going to need the two of them to team up on a cooking show — or maybe, even a cooking stadium tour. I’d shell out big bucks for that as opposed to Taylor Swift.

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