spanish roast chicken & chorizo

This recipe for Spanish roast chicken with chorizo, tomatoes, olives, and peppers is inspired by a friend of mine kate who walked the Camino. This is a delicious and easy tray roast chicken recipe that is perfect for a weeknight supper.

 You will also need a fairly large oven tray to bake it in. I also decided to add a splash of sherry to the pan because it’s Spanish and the perfect elixir for this dish, but you could totally leave it out. I had every intention of adding the potatoes in too but then the pan looked rather overcrowded.  I decided to rather fry them in the fat I’d cooked the chicken in, and that was a delicious decision.

I love a dish where the sauce or pan jus is made without much interference. The flavours render out naturally and blend together. The Paprika and fat from the chorizo and the chicken mingle with the tomato juice, lemon juice, and sherry, creating a delicious warm dressing for the chicken. Serve with a crusty loaf to scrape up any leftovers. 

I had also attended the launch of the Springfield Estate new Albariño wine in Feb and was looking for the perfect dish to serve this with. It’s an exciting wine and only the second Albariño to be produced in South Africa from the Spanish Albariño grape variety.

Although Springfield suggests it’s the perfect pairing with seafood (and it is) I thought the bright acidity of this wine with the fruit notes of apricot and nectarines went really well with this roasted chicken and spicy chorizo dish. It’s an excellent food wine in general and one to look out for next year when the second vintage becomes available. Sadly 2018 (their maiden vintage) has already sold out. If you are lucky enough to spot it on a wine list or pick it up in a boutique store, grab it with gusto.

This is one of those recipes where the quantities don’t really matter too much and you can add additional chili if you like some heat. 

Recipe – serves 4

Spanish roast chicken & chorizo with tomatoes

A simple and rustic tray roast chicken dish with chorizo, tomatoes, olives, and peppers.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 12 – 16 new potatoes
• 8 bone-in skin-on free-range chicken breasts
• 2 tsp smoked paprika divided
• 1 large red or yellow pepper cut into medium-sized chunks
• 200 gms to 250gms baby tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
• 1 large red onion cut into wedges / 8ths
• 150 gms chorizo sliced
• ½ cup Calamata olives
• ¼ cup medium cream sherry optional
• Finely grated zest of a lemon
• Juice of a lemon
• A couple of sprigs of thyme optional.
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Olive oil for cooking

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the new potatoes until they are knife tender halfway through (3/4 of the way cooked through).
• Add a splash of olive to a large non-stick pan. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Fry them on either side until they just start turning brown but are not cooked through.
• In a large oven-roasting tray, line the pan with the red pepper chunks, onions wedges, garlic, tomatoes, chorizo slices, olives, and sherry.
• When the new potatoes are par-cooked add them to the tray and drizzle over a splash of olive oil and toss things around. Ensure that things are more or less in an even layer.  
• Place the browned chicken on top of the vegetable mix and then grate over the zest of the lemon and add the juice. Sprinkle over the remaining one teaspoon of smoked paprika (over everything), season well with salt and pepper, and scatter over the thyme if you are using it.
• Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
• Serve with a big green salad, and crusty bread to mop up the juices and wine.

Servings: 4

Author: Sam Linsell

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