Hairy Bikers' Spanish chicken bake proves that healthy eating doesn't need to be boring.
The Hairy Bikers‘ Spanish chicken bake is one of the healthy dishes features on the BBC television series, Hairy Dieters because it’s high in protein and low in carbs. At just 370 calories per serving, this is great dinner option for anyone watching what they eat. The one-pot dish mixes smoked paprika, tomatoes and chorizo with the chicken to create a light, Spanish-inspired meal, infused with Mediterranean flavours.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 500g new potatoes, quartered lengthways
- 8 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 8 medium tomatoes, quartered
- 75g chorizo
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½tsp sweet smoked paprika
- ½tsp dried oregano
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
- Flaked sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Put the onions, potatoes, garlic and tomatoes in a large roasting tin and season with sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Toss everything together lightly and roast for 20 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, skin the chorizo and cut the meat into thin slices – 5mm is about right. Put the chicken thighs on a board and carefully slash each one 2 or 3 times with a knife. Season all over with black pepper. Mix the paprika and oregano together and set aside.
Take the roasting tin out of the oven, scatter the chorizo over the veg and turn everything a couple of times. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and chorizo and sprinkle with the paprika and oregano. Season with a little salt and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
Take the tin out of the oven. Holding one corner carefully with an oven cloth, lift the tin a little so all the juices run to the opposite end, then spoon and drizzle the juices back over the chicken. Tuck the pepper strips loosely around the chicken and vegetables.
Turn the oven up to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Put the tin back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until the peppers are just softened and the chicken is golden and crisp
Recipe taken from The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight by Si King and Dave Myers
Top tips for making Hairy Bikers' Spanish chicken bake
Si and Dave use chicken thighs in this recipe to keep down the cost, but you can use your favourite cut of chicken instead – breast or drumsticks will work.
The Hairy Bikers cut the fat on this dish by using chorizo, which has natural fats, so you don't need to add any extra.
