Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Rice with Olives

• 500gboneless, skinless chicken thigh meat, cut into 3cm pieces
• 110gmild cooking chorizo, sliced into 5mm rounds
• 15mlolive oil, for browning
• 8trimmed spring onions, finely sliced
• 250gcourgette, cut into 1.5cm dice
• 4garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200gfreshly grated tomato flesh, skins discarded
• 0.15gsaffron threads, roughly a generous pinch
• 520mlchicken stock, heated until steaming
• 240glong-grain white rice, rinsed and thoroughly drained
• 65gdrained pitted green olives, halved lengthways
• 2 tspsherry vinegar
• fine salt, to season the chicken lightly
• freshly ground black pepper, to season the chicken

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan. Put the saffron in a jug, pour over 50ml of the hot stock and leave for 5 minutes until richly golden, then stir in the remaining stock.
2. 2Set a 30cm wide, shallow ovenproof pan with a tight-fitting lid over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken lightly with fine salt and black pepper, then brown it in two batches for 3 minutes per batch until deeply golden on one side; transfer each batch to a plate.
3. 3Lower the heat to medium and add the chorizo. Cook for 3 minutes until its fat has rendered and the edges are bronzed, then add the courgette and cook for 4 minutes until lightly coloured and beginning to soften.
4. 4Add the spring onions and cook for 3 minutes until wilted. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
5. 5Add the grated tomato and cook for 4 minutes until thick enough to leave a brief trail across the base of the pan. Stir in the drained rice for 1 minute until every grain glistens.
6. 6Return the chicken and any resting juices to the pan, then pour in the saffron stock. Stir once, scrape up the browned bits and level the rice before simmering for 2 minutes until bubbling across the surface.
7. 7Cover tightly and transfer to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes until the stock has been absorbed, the rice is tender and the chicken is steaming hot throughout with no pink remaining.
8. 8Keep the pan covered and rest it off the heat for 10 minutes until the last moisture is absorbed and the grains loosen easily. Drizzle over the sherry vinegar, add the olives and fold them through gently without crushing the rice.

Per serving

kcal

568

protein

38.3g

fibre

2.9g

carbs

56.2g

fat

20g