roast chicken and chorizo with red and green tomatoes

having used nigel slater’s recipe for red and green tomato chutney i also wanted to try his baked chicken with (red and green) tomatoes and olives, to use up a few more of my green tomatoes.

in this the red and green tomatoes are mixed with one-third green to two-thirds ripe ones. he adds garlic, thyme and olives for flavour; i also added a handful of chorizo chunks.

this is incredibly easy to prepare (in advance if you want) and really delicious. you need something to mop up the juices though – we went for brown rice (plus cauliflower cheese) but couscous or crispy bread would be just as good.

roast chicken with tomatoes and olives* (serves 3-4)

2 tablespoons olive oil

a large handful of cubed chorizo (2-3 normal sized sausages)

6 - 8 chicken thighs, trim off any excess fat or skin 

350g tomatoes (one third green and two thirds red)

the juice of a lemon

12 stoned black olives

6 plump cloves of garlic, skin removed and bashed with the flat of a knife so they are crushed a little

leaves from 3 large sprigs of thyme

set the oven at 180c.

heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the chorizo until it starts  to release its oil. add the chicken thighs to the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side, so that they begin to colour. place the chicken and chorizo in a large baking dish.

halve tomatoes (i quartered the green ones to help them cook) and place in a bowl with the lemon juice, olives, garlic and thyme. season and tip into the baking dish with the chicken and chorizo, tucking the tomatoes down the side of the chicken pieces so the chicken skin remains exposed and can crisp up.

bake for 45-60 minutes, until the chicken juices run clear when you pierce the flesh with a skewer.

*based on a nigel slater recipe