chicken + chorizo tray bake

locorcoran

I love it when you’re on a plane and the hostie hands you one of those little packets of Jatz and cheese. Score! It’s so important to get the snack food right. It not only passes the time but is the key to an enjoyable flight.

Same goes with a road trip. You simply can’t have a good car trip without good car food (especially when you’ve got little people in the backseat). Mum keeps her pantry and fruit bowl stocked up high with all of her kids (and grandkids) favourite snacks so she can throw them in the car when we’re heading home after a visit. Think barbecue shapes (my favourite) and tiny teddies for the girlies, bananas, apples and theres always some trusty Jatz of course. A 5 box minimum in Meemar’s cupboard.

Driving home from mum and dad’s beach house this weekend (a good 5 hour drive) I spent the whole time thinking about what I was going to cook for dinner. Luckily, whilst stopping for a cuppa in Gunning, we came across a fruit and veggie stand.

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I was drawn to these bright red capsicums – the basis for making this delicious chicken and chorizo one-tray bake. Talk about an easy, healthy and delicious meal that can be thrown together in a matter of minutes and whacked in the oven. The perfect Sunday night dish as there is very little prep to do.

I love how the beans crunch up and ‘pop’ during the cooking process. I love the heat that the paprika and chilli brings. I love the ‘wetness’ that the tomatoes and zucchini bring once cooked and I love the peppery-ness (that can’t be a word) that the rocket brings.

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Cork Daddy said that if my Hungarian goulash is the best meal I’ve cooked for a while, this would have to come in a close second. Aw shucks.

Which confirms the fact that good food is often about the easiest food. The dishes that don’t take too long to prepare. That are no fuss. The ones that are honest and hearty. The ones that fall in to the ‘Jatz and cheese’ category. Comforting, tasty and that little bit familiar.

Make this tonight. You won’t be disappointed.

chicken + chorizo tray bake (serves 4)

1 x Spanish onion, chopped in to wedges
2 x zucchinis, quartered and chopped in to 3
2 x small red capsicums, roughly chopped
6 x garlic cloves, left whole
A small handful of olives, pits removed
10 x cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 x chorizo, skin removed and finely sliced
1 x 400 gram tin of cannellini beans, drained
2 x small red chillies*, kept whole
500 grams of chicken breast, sliced in half
Fresh rosemary, removed from stalks
A good sprinkling of paprika
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
A good drizzling of olive oil
A splash of red wine vinegar
A handful of fresh rocket leaves
Fresh sourdough, to serve

  • Add the onion, zucchini, capsicum and garlic to a large baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a hot oven (200℃) for 15 minutes.
  • Add the olives, tomatoes, chorizo, beans and chilli’s and toss with the veggies. Lay the chicken on top, scatter over the rosemary and sprinkle with paprika. Drizzle a little more olive oil and red wine vinegar and season again with salt and pepper. Roast for another 20-30 minutes.
  • Discard the whole chillies, scatter the rocket leaves over the top and carry to the table to share.

Check Lo’s tips below. 

Lo’s tips

  • You can replace the fresh chillies with dried chilli flakes.
  • The hardest thing about tray bakes is that it’s hard to monitor the individual cooking time of all ingredients. Just watch it closely and if you think the chicken is cooked, but the rest still needs a little longer, then take the chicken breast out. Keep it warm under some foil while you jiggle the vege around, placing it back in the oven to cook for another 5 or 10 minutes.
  • The chorizo is nice when its crispy too, so you can make sure that its poking out from the rest of the ingredients so that it crisps up and doesn’t go all soggy.
  • Crumble some feta over the finished product too if you like.

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If you make this chicken and chorizo tray bake, please leave your comments below. xx

12 Comments

  1. Seriously delicious!! The best part was when Joff scoffed a while chilli, ha ha!! Very tasty and we’ll make this one again xx

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  2. Loved it! We swapped the beans for chickpeas and the rocket for baby spinach and fresh basil. Fun to make as different to things I usually cook- a real hit!

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