thepassionatecook: Honey & lemon two-pot chicken

Don't you just love one-pot dishes? Even if I don't fit the bachelor/spinster profile anymore and my student days are long gone, this recipe has kept its place in my repertoire all along the way. Nowadays it's not about the size of my kitchen any more, as I have advanced from a entrance/bathroom/kitchenette-type arrangement to a decent-sized kitchen of about 25 square metres and can stock more than just one pan and a pot. It's also not about trying to avoid washing too many dishes afterwards - I have long passed these duties on to a fabulous invention which goes by the name of Whirlpool. The convenience factor remains.
No, the ever-lasting attraction lies in the fact that you can chuck everything in a pan, even let it macerate for a few hours, and when the time has come to pop it in the oven, you still have a comfortable 30 to 45 minutes to enjoy a starter, chat with your friends, take a shower or keep yourself busy in whichever way you please.
I've been making this dish for what seems an eternity and it never fails to please. I love the marriage of the sweet and sour, the crispness of the lemon cutting through the butter and honey, with the rosemary and garlic having a hard time standing up against this wonderful combination of flavours.
So I call this "two-pot" chicken. Which is not rexactly right because I use pans, not pots. But let's not get too hung up on the details. The essence remains. All your ingredients come together in one recipient to allow for a perfect fusion of flavours. And minimal time in the kitchen before AND afterwards.

Honey & lemon two-pot chicken
(serves 4)

4 good-sized chicken breasts (ca. 250 g each)
500 g baby potatoes (skin on)
100 g butter
juice of 3 lemons
4 tbsp runny honey (I used Tasmanian leatherwood)
5 tbsp madeira (optional)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 limes (unwaxed)
1 lemon (unwaxed)
3 sprigs rosemary

Melt the butter in a pan and add the garlic. When it starts to brown, pour in the lemon juice, honey and madeira (if using) and leave until the mixture starts to bubble. Add the rosemary and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
In the meantime clean each chicken fillet (skin on or off, whichever you prefer) and cut in three equal-sized pieces. Put in an oven-proof pan together with the washed and dried baby potatoes. Pour over the honey & lemon marinade, cut the limes and lemon in wedges and tuck them in with the chicken and potatoes. You can leave this to macerate for a good few hours or put it straight in the oven, if needed.
An hour before you plan to serve, preheat the oven to 250 C. When it has reached the correct temperature, put the chicken in and leave for about 30 - 40 minutes, turning over once. Serve the chicken and potatoes drizzled with some of the sauce and garnished with the lemon and lime wedges. Accompany with a mixed salad, if you like.

Wine suggestion:
Make sure you choose a wine that can handle this power play of strong flavours. Go for a nice oaked chardonnay from Australia or Chile for example - you want lots of exotic fruit with a good balance of acidity. We had an Alsatian riesling from Paul Zinck yesterday which I found worked quite well, too.