This super easy Spanish style one-pan chicken and chorizo honestly NEVER disappoints. Just throw chicken, chorizo, garlic, cherry tomatoes and basil into a baking dish… and bake! It’s equally perfect for entertaining as it is for a quick and easy family meal.
The perfect one pan chicken and chorizo recipe
This is a great spring or summer casserole recipe, when tomatoes and basil are at their best.
On the other hand, one pan baked chicken and chorizo with cherry tomatoes is on regular rotation at our house, whatever the season.
It took me a long time to post this recipe, because I’d always seen chicken & chorizo as Mr. Scrummy’s domain. When it’s his night to cook, many times he serves this.
Which means one important thing… it’s been perfected over many, many ‘makes’!
So why’s it so perfect?
✔ You only need five (or possibly six) simple main ingredients. There’s such a punch of flavor from the Spanish chorizo, garlic and the few other complimentary Mediterranean flavors.
✔ Chicken and chorizo are truly a match made in heaven. Add in really fresh basil, garlic and the mountains of yummy tomatoes and you’re really onto a winner chicken dinner.
✔ It’s a ‘dump and bake’ sort of recipe – truly a one pan meal with no pre-cooking at all. But no one will guess how simple it is from the incredibly delicious results. In less than an hour you’ll have a delicious home cooked chicken dinner on the table.
✔ It’s a great family friendly dinner for midweek. But it goes down equally as well for guests. You wouldn’t believe how much people rave over such a simple dish!
✔ It arguably tastes even better the next day, and it’s an excellent freezer meal!
About the ingredients
We really hope you come to love this simple Spanish chicken and chorizo stew as much as we do.
Trust me, this is a lot more delicious than the sum of its parts, with only 5 main ingredients. And a 6th if you like!
Since the recipe doesn’t have many ingredients, I try to make the ingredients the best quality they can be. This way, each of the yummy Mediterranean flavors can shine!
This is all you need:
- Chicken thighs: I like to use boneless skinless thighs to keep the meal leaner. But it’s fine to use bone in skin on. Cooking time is the same. I usually use 7-8 medium sized thighs.
- Chorizo: I usually buy a whole Spanish style chorizo (don’t confuse this with Mexican chorizo which is completely different). Some versions are not spicy at all, others are a little bit more spicy. Either is OK – it’s down to personal taste!
However, since the chorizo is such a key flavor in this dish, try to find a good quality dark colored chorizo with an intense smoky, ‘umami’ (savory) flavor. Aldi usually has some good value options.
- Garlic: You’ll need a whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves. One more thing I love about this recipe is that you don’t have to peel the garlic before throwing it in (bonus!). Roasted garlic gets all sweet and soft and is delicious just squeezed out of the skin onto your plate.
- Cherry tomatoes: Loads of them! You can substitute with ‘grape tomatoes’ or any other small tomato variety. They ‘melt’ down into the dish, making an absolutely delicious sauce.
- Fresh basil: A whole bunch.
- Optional: balsamic vinegar: This adds a little bit of something. Mr. Scrummy misses it out, I drizzle a bit in!
Why so many tomatoes?
You might be a bit shocked by how many cherry tomatoes you’re tipping over your chicken and chorizo. But don’t worry, they’ll bake down to just the right amount.
But you can use any kind of tomatoes in this dish. If bigger tomatoes happen to be on sale where you live, just chop them into smaller chunks and toss them in instead of cherry tomatoes.
The only ‘rule’ is that you need A LOT. So it’s a great recipe to make when tomatoes of any kind are either on sale or in season.
Where I live, sometimes cherry tomatoes can be quite expensive in the winter. In this case, you can even use a can of cherry tomatoes in place of some of the fresh ones!
TIP: Got leftover chorizo? Try these easy halloumi kebabs with chorizo, tomatoes and honey lime dressing or this quick and easy creamy chorizo pasta!
How do you make baked chicken and chorizo?
This is a true one pan meal with very little hands-on time necessary. Dinner’s a breeze when this is on the menu!
This is how you make it:
Step 1: Throw everything apart from the tomatoes into the baking dish – you don’t even peel the garlic cloves if you don’t want to (hello delicious roasted garlic smooshed onto your plate).
Step 2: Pour the cherry tomatoes over the top.
Step 3: Drizzle over olive oil and the optional balsamic vinegar.
Step 4: Pop the dish into the oven for about an hour and let the magic happen. The massive amounts of cherry tomatoes will melt over the chorizo and chicken and other flavours, leaving you with a beautifully tasty sauce.
Tip: If I’m serving this to guests, after 50 minutes I usually stir the dish a little so that some of the chicken and chorizo pokes above the tomatoes. Then I bake for another 10 minutes to allow everything to get browned and very delicious looking on top.
If your casserole hasn’t browned much, you can always switch on the broiler/grill for a few minutes – but watch carefully so nothing burns!
How to serve your casserole
I like to keep this chorizo chicken tray bake the low carb and simple recipe that it is by serving it with these 2-minute olive oil toasts (perfect for smooshing the roasted garlic onto!). And perhaps a very simple green salad.
This is all you need. The toast is perfect for mopping up the delicious sauce!
If you like though you can go the extra mile and serve it with your favorite potatoes – mashed, roasted or fried. I highly recommend these incredible Greek potatoes or roasted cauliflower mash.
Or choose another potato side dish (plenty to choose from here!). Yum!
A rice dish could go well, too. How about this simple Greek lemon rice with chickpeas?
What’s the best wine to serve with Spanish chicken thighs with chorizo? I’d go for a fruity Rioja, Malbec, Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. If you’re in the mood for white, a Sauvignon blanc would be a good choice.
Variations
- The strong, smoky and spicy flavors of the chorizo are absolutely key in this dish. If you wanted to, however, you could try it with chunky, smoked pancetta or bacon instead (or as well!).
- I feel like there’s plenty of smoky paprika flavor in the dish already if you use a good quality chorizo. However feel free to sprinkle a teaspoon of sweet or smoked paprika over the chicken before baking for an extra hit of flavor.
- Add some baby potatoes for a ‘patatas bravas’ version of the dish. Patatas bravas is a tasty Spanish tapas dish meaning spicy potatoes!
I’d cut the potatoes in half (especially if they’re on the larger side), drizzle with olive oil and give them a 20-minute head start in the oven before adding everything else to your tray bake.
- Stir some big olives in for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time (watch your teeth if they have stones in!).
TIP: If you do decide to add potatoes, make sure you use a really big baking dish that will fit everything in without overcrowding the pan.
Storing and freezing
Somehow we think this chicken and chorizo bake tastes even better the next day. Throw any leftovers into sealed storage containers (or just cover the baking dish with aluminium foil for easy reheating) and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
It reheats really well in the microwave – around 4 and a half minutes usually does it.
Alternatively you can freeze any leftovers in well sealed food containers or bags for up to 6 months. It tastes as good as new when defrosted and reheated.
Love chicken and chorizo? Check out this easy chicken and chorizo risotto, too! If you like this meal, you’ll also love this Mediterranean stove top chicken casserole and this amazing pan-fried gnocchi with cherry tomato sauce (for a veggie option!).
What about dessert?
Looking for a Spanish themed dessert to go with this main course? I highly recommend this amazing San Sebastian cheesecake aka burnt Basque cheesecake. It’s very impressive and unique, but SO easy to make!
More one pan chicken dinners
- honey balsamic chicken with mushrooms and brussels sprouts (delicious AND healthy!)
- This one pan Greek chicken and potatoes is another eternal family favorite. Try it and you’ll see why.
- Ever tried a tagine? This Moroccan chicken stew is so easy to make, and a crowd pleaser the whole family will enjoy.
- This amazing sheet pan chicken tikka puts a delicious, healthy Indian twist on a chicken tray bake.
- The simplest stove top chicken and rice (30-minute meal!)
Or click here to search my one-pot meal archives: this is my favourite kind of meal, so there are too many to list them all here!
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, LET ME KNOW HOW YOU GET ON BY LEAVING A COMMENT AND RATING BELOW… AND DON’T FORGET TO SIGN UP TO RECEIVE ALL MY NEW RECIPES BY EMAIL!
One-pan Chicken And Chorizo With Cherry Tomatoes
Equipment (affiliate links)
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
- 1.5 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless (about 8 medium thighs, but a little more or less is fine)
- 1 bulb garlic split into cloves but unpeeled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 5 ounces chorizo Around one good quality sausage, chopped into small pieces. You can add more to taste if you like.
- 1 bunch basil chopped or torn
- 2.75 pounds tomatoes I use cherry tomatoes for ease, but any small tomatoes or chopped larger ones will work
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar optional
- toasted bread with olive oil and salt or mashed potatoes to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 355F.
- Place the chicken thighs in a large baking dish. Scatter the garlic cloves in between/over them, then grind over a generous amount of salt and pepper.1.5 pounds chicken thighs, 1 bulb garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Scatter the chorizo pieces over the chicken, followed by the basil and then the tomatoes.5 ounces chorizo, 1 bunch basil, 2.75 pounds tomatoes
- Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar (if using), then bake for around an hour until the tomatoes are slightly charred and the chicken is cooked through and slightly browned where it pokes through the sauce. Toss and stir once half way through cooking.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Serve in dishes with toasted bread with olive oil or with a potato side dish.toasted bread with olive oil and salt or mashed potatoes
Tim says
Helen,
I have been using at least one recipe of yours a week in the past couple of weeks. They have been such a great discovery, and this was a huge hit tonight with my family. The chorizo with the tomatoes was such a delicious mix. I could only find one chorizo at the grocery, which sort of fell apart when I cut it, which was no one’s fault, but the taste after it cooked was mouthwatering, and the chicken was cooked perfectly. One of my favorite flavors and textures is tomatoes after a good roasting and the skins are a bit seared. Darn, this is a great recipe. I am going to find a better chorizo to use next time. What a simple, straight-forward recipe. We all loved it here. I served your toasted bread with olive oil as well, along with simple mashed potatoes. The meal felt wholesome and very healthy. Cheers and thanks!
Helen says
Hello, Tim! Once again, thank you very much for taking the time to leave a review. It’s always so appreciated and often makes my day. This recipe is one of our family favorites, but I can relate to your issue with the chorizo! We first started making this recipe when we were living in the UK and I found that the chorizo available there much tastier. Here in Australia it can be very hit and miss. There are some truly awful chorizos here, with the odd better one hiding among them. If it’s possible to find one, I find the authentic Spanish versions the best. They are usually on the darker side colour wise, and very tasty so you don’t need to add as much to get the same overall flavour profile in the dish.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you again! 🙂
Kelly says
I love that there’s so little washing up after this. Everything goes in one oven tray. Then you take out once for turning. It’s relatively cheap and has all the kitchen regulars in. And best of all, it tasted delicious. I will definitely be making this again, and I’m so glad I tried it. We didn’t need potato’s/crusty bread, we just added butter beans, and they were good healthy fillers. Thank you!
Helen says
Hello Kelly. Thank you so much for the feedback, and actually I really like your idea of adding a few butter beans as an alternative to bread or potatoes. 🙂
Jo Young says
Just making this – and while it smells delicious – I’m now at the end of the second hour of cooking and it’s nowhere near ready. I’ve doubled the quantities but wasn’t expecting to have to more than double the cooking time…?
Helen says
Hello Jo! How did it go in the end? Doubling the recipe will definitely add some cooking time, but I wouldn’t have thought it would be 2 hours. Generally if you double a recipe the cook time is 30 – 50% more, but it depends a lot on the type of baking dishes used. If you use 2 baking dishes the same size, you’ll probably won’t need to bake them for too much longer, but if the doubled ingredients are all in one (deeper) pan then the cooking time might be considerably longer. I hope the dish was worth the wait in the end! 🙂
Jo Young says
It was delicious! It was in a big old cast iron Le Creuset but did take about 2.5 hours – chicken was still totally raw after and hour and a half and then it seemed to suddenly speed up! Lovely recipe will do again…
Helen says
So happy it turned out well in the end, Jo. I think it took that long because the casserole was deeper. I think if you spread that same amount out between two shallower baking dishes it would take much less time. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Diane says
Made this last night and it was totally fabulous. I added some peppers which were in the early stages of going off and at the end I added cubes of Feta and olives. So easy it will be definite go to when family are staying.
Helen says
Hello, Diane! I’m so happy you enjoyed this so much! These days we often add a few olives when we make this (we ate it three times this week since we’re only a family of 3!). And really, you just can’t go wrong with a bit of feta on top of anything tomato based. It’s a perfect choice for casual guests so I hope your family enjoy it too!
Mel Garthwaite says
Absolutely fab!! And the chicken stays moist too. Used skinless bone in thighs which tend to be my staple freezer item. So quick to do & family requested me to cook it again. Happy days!!
Helen says
Hello Mel! Ahh so happy to hear this, and probably even more flavorful the way you did it with the bone in thighs. Thank you so much for reporting back! 🙂
Angela Griffiths says
I wondered if I make this in an Instant Pot would I bake or roast it? I like the chorizo to be a little crispy.
Thank you.
Helen says
Hello Angela! I’ve never tried making this in an instant pot, but I do think it might work well. I’d say if there’s a choice use roast since that would be the closest to baking. The chorizo will be lovely either crispy or not. Hope you enjoy it!
Angela Griffiths says
Hi Helen. Thank you for the prompt reply. I actually made this last night before I received your response (time difference) and started on the bake option. Soon changed to roast and it cooked beautifully. Absolutely delicious so looking forward to eating the remainder. Thank you x
Helen says
Ahh so happy this worked out well, Angela, and thank you so much for the feedback 🙂
Keith Turpin says
That was absolutely delicious and so easy. I will make this again and again. Made it with garlic bread and a salad. If anyone doesn’t feel confident in the kitchen but wants to make an impression this is the dish.
Keith
Helen says
Hello, Keith! This recipe is always very popular with my gentlemen readers. In fact it was my husband who originally started making some version of it years ago, and he still loves to make it today. I’m so happy you enjoyed it too and that it will become a regular in your house. Thank you so much for the feedback!
Clive Bonner says
This is another great quick and easy tasty recipe from Helen @ Scrummy Lane.
Helen says
Thank you so much, Clive! I so appreciate the lovely feedback! 🙂
Bob McKnight says
So good Helen, I added diced red and yellow peppers and some red onion, will make this often and freeze for quick meals.
Bob
Helen says
So good to hear this, Bob. I find this is a perfect freezer meal for any time of year!
Hollie says
Can this be made using chicken breasts and how would you adjust the cooking time please?
Helen says
Hello Hollie! That’s a great question! You can but I’d put the dish into the oven without the chicken, then tuck the chicken into the tomatoes etc about 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Chicken breasts are a little less forgiving if they’re overcooked so you don’t want to end up with really dry meat. Good luck!
MargaretJimerson says
Can this be prepared a day or so before cooking?
Helen says
Hello Margaret! I’m so happy you’re interested in trying this recipe. As there are only 3 of us we often have this 2 days in a row, and I think it often tastes better the second day. So yes, go for it! You’ll be fine reheating it at 80% power in the microwave. Start with 4 minutes and go from there if it’s still not piping hot. I hope you enjoy it as much as we usually do!
Matt says
Love this, i had thighs with skin and with bone, I cooked for just over and hour. I added olives and butter beans , I used pesto as I didn’t have basil . I served with crusty bread and when we were done there was a ‘soup’ of all the juices left in the dish. Which dad polished off with the rest of the bread. Perfect dish. Thanks
Helen says
Hello Matt, and thank you so much for the great feedback! I really like the sound of your changes. I love it when you can truly make a recipe your own. So happy Dad enjoyed it too! 🙂