Mediterranean chicken with olives
This is a dish of bright, vivid colour and bold flavours. Onions, tomatoes and red peppers make a chunky vegetable sauce for chicken pieces, with spicy chorizo sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary and olives adding tastes of the Mediterranean. Serve with crusty bread so you don’t waste any of the delicious juices.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
40 grams (1 1⁄2 oz) chorizo sausage, skinned and diced
2 large red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
1⁄3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
398 ml can chopped tomatoes
1⁄4 cup dry white wine
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts or large thighs (about 500 grams/1 lb in total)
1⁄3 cup pitted olives (black, green or a mixture)
1.Heat the oil in a large, heavy flameproof casserole or deep frying pan. Add the onions, garlic and rosemary and cook gently, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes until soft and golden.
2.Add the chorizo and peppers and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for a couple of minutes or until the sausage turns slightly golden.
3.Add the sun-dried tomatoes, the canned tomatoes with their juice, and the wine. Season with freshly ground black pepper (salt should not be needed), then stir well and bring to a simmer.
4.Add the chicken and stir to coat with the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the sauce simmers. Cover and cook for 25–30 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce is thick.
5.Just before serving, stir in the pitted olives and cook for just long enough to heat them through.
Cook’s tip• You can prepare ahead up until the end of step 4. Keep refrigerated or frozen, then thaw and reheat gently. Add the olives before serving.
Serves 4
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time about 1 hour
Each serving
31.5 g protein • 19.5 g fat of which 4.5 g saturates • 13 g carbohydrate • 4 g fibre • 372 Calories
