Not being a big carnivore myself, when I plan my weekly meals (yes, that’s correct) I always try to include some vegetarian or meat-free dishes. In addition to ensuring I am not contributing to the overdepletion of our meat resources worldwide, I thoroughly enjoy cooking and baking with vegetables. This recipe, however, pays homage to my more meat-eating nature and is a very easy and fuss-free alternative to a steak and/or to pasta bake. Basically, all of the ingredients are roasted together in the same tin and you simply add a flavoursome marinade to the chicken once it’s completely cooked. How easier could it get?
Needless to say, you really should go for corn-fed or free range chicken. I honestly don’t even see the point in buying the battery farmed variety. By doing so you are fostering a very cruel and money-driven practice which bears no respect to the animals and simply rears them to produce more and more meat. Also, from a cooking point of view, the meat of battery farmed chicken is full of chemicals to make it bigger and juicier, but lacks in flavour and taste. Therefore, next time you see those massive whole chicken on offer at the supermarket for only £4 (or less) ask yourself, is this really worth it?
Ingredients (for the roast)
- 4 red peppers
- 350g cooking chorizo (the sausages, not the sliced salami)
- 1.5kg free range chicken, giblets removed
- 400ml white wine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Ingredients (for the sauce)
- 2 large shallots, finely diced
- 1 large bunch of parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 red + 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sherry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice
- salt and pepper
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
- Deseed the peppers and cut them lengthways into 8 strips. Cut the chorizo into 1cm slices. Place the peppers and the chorizo in a large casserole dish or roasting tin, then put the chicken on top. Pour the wine over, then drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid or foil and roast in the hot oven for 1 hour.
- Remove the lid or the foil tent and roast for another 30 minutes.
- To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, mix well, then season with salt and pepper.
- Check the chicken is cooked by pricking the leg joint. The juices should run clear. Allow to rest for a good 5 minutes, then pour the sauce ingredients over the chicken while it is in the casserole/tin and serve it immediately. Enjoy!
Baking with Attitude 