Chicken and chorizo casserole, a Spanish twist

Chicken and Chorizo casserole

Spanish food is essentially simple and wholesome, but very tasty. The addition of good quality Extra Virgin olive oil, chorizo, capsicum and tomatoes are all that is needed to transport a simple chicken dish to Granada, Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian or wherever you want to be in Spain. Although food in Granada often has a very Moroccan influence as well.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 chicken thighs
1/2 chorizo, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red onions, roughly chopped
1 stick celery, chopped finely
1 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 red capsicums, cut into bite sized pieces
4 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups passata
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

Preheat oven to 160 deg C. In a large casserole, heat oil, fry chicken until golden; set aside. Add chorizo, garlic, onions, celery, fry until soft. Add zucchini, capsicum, thyme, wine, passata, and tinned tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes. Return chicken to pot, season and cover. Cook in oven for 40 minutes; remove lid, cook for 10 more minutes.

Serve with lots of homemade bread and green olives, a nice Spanish Rioja or Tempranillo (red wine).

Adapted from David Herbert's recipe in the Australian Newspaper magazine

Serves 4-6.