SPANISH CHICKEN CASSEROLE

‘Buen provecho!’ is Spanish for ‘bon appetit!’. That says it all really for this hearty dish.

SERVES 4

8 chicken thighs on the bone, skin removed

1 tbsp paprika (mild or hot as you prefer)

1 tbsp Lucy Bee coconut oil

50g/1¾ oz chorizo, chopped

200g/7 oz red onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 fennel bulbs, sliced

2 red peppers (bell peppers), deseeded and sliced

400g/14 oz waxy potatoes, peeled and quartered

100g/scant 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, halved

75ml/⅓ cup medium or sweet sherry, or Marsala

1 x 400g tin/2 cups chopped tomatoes

500ml/2 cups plus 1 tbsp chicken stock (for homemade)

Handful of parsley, chopped

Small handful of olives

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2.

Dust the chicken thighs with the paprika. Melt the coconut oil in a large ovenproof frying pan that has a lid, or in a flameproof casserole, then add the chorizo and fry for about 5 minutes, before adding the chicken and browning on each side.

Remove the chicken and chorizo to a dish or plate, add the onions, garlic, fennel and (bell) peppers and fry for 10 minutes over a medium heat, until soft. Add the potato slices and sun-dried tomatoes, and return the chicken and chorizo to the pan.

Pour the sherry or Marsala over then add the tomatoes and stock and mix all the ingredients together. Bring to the boil, cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours, giving it a stir halfway through. Before serving, stir in the parsley and scatter over the olives.

TIP

This dish freezes well.