We’ve been making this super easy one-pan chicken and chorizo for a long time. It never disappoints. Just throw chicken, chorizo, garlic, cherry tomatoes and basil into a baking dish… and bake! It’s equally perfect for entertainment as it is for a quick and easy family friendly meal.
The perfect one-pan chicken and chorizo recipe
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. He often asks if I’d like him to cook, cool and helpful husband that he is, and many times he serves this.
Which means one important thing, of course… it’s been perfected over many, many ‘makes’.
So why’s it so perfect?
- You only need five (or possibly six) simple main ingredients.
- Chicken and chorizo are truly a match made in heaven. There’s such a punch of flavour from the chorizo. 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… but you’d never know from the 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 a really good freezer meal!
About the ingredients
We really hope you come to love this simple recipe as much as we do, and make it time and time again.
Chorizo and chicken are a match made in heaven, so this is a lot more delicious than the sum of its parts, with only five main ingredients. And a 6th if you like!
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.
- chorizo: I usually buy a whole Spanish style chorizo. Some versions are not spicy at all, others are a little bit more spicy so check to see which one you are buying. Either is OK – it’s down to personal taste! Aldi does some good value chorizos.
- garlic
- cherry tomatoes: Loads of them! Don’t worry, they ‘melt’ down into the dish, making an absolutely delicious sauce.
- fresh basil
- optional: balsamic vinegar: This adds a little bit of something, but it’s by no means an essential ingredient. Mr. Scrummy misses it out, I drizzle a bit in!
Quite simply, ridiculous amounts of flavour oozes from the generous amounts of chorizo, garlic and basil dumped into the dish.
Really, nothing else is needed – just a pile of toasted, olive-oiled bread or creamy mashed potatoes to eat alongside it.
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:
- Throw everything apart from the tomatoes into the baking dish – you don’t even peel the garlic cloves if you don’t want to.
- Pour the cherry tomatoes over the top.
- Drizzle over olive oil and the optional balsamic vinegar.
- Pop the dish into the oven for 50 minutes to 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.
- Serve either with toasted Italian style bread drizzled with olive oil and scattered with salt, a big heap of mashed potatoes, or some other kind of potato side dish (plenty to choose from here!). Yum!
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, you haven’t weighed them out wrongly. 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.
How to serve your casserole
I usually keep things very simple and serve my chorizo chicken with these 2-minute olive oil toasts. They’re really all you need and are perfect for mopping up the delicious sauce.
If you like though you can go the extra mile and serve it with your favourite kind of potatoes – mashed, roasted or fried. I highly recommend these incredible Greek potatoes or roasted cauliflower mash.
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.
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!).
More one pan chicken dinners
- honey balsamic chicken with mushrooms and brussels sprouts (delicious AND healthy!)
- Ever tried a tagine? This Moroccan chicken stew is so easy to make, and a crowd pleaser the whole family will enjoy.
- amazing sheet pan chicken tikka
- the simplest stove top chicken and rice (30-minute meal!)
- one pan maple, orange and pecan chicken
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!
Entertaining? Or special dinner for the family? Why not choose from one of these 11 really easy dessert recipes (6 ingredients or less) to round off the meal nicely!
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, LET ME KNOW HOW YOU GOT ON BY LEAVING A COMMENT AND RATING BELOW!
One-pan baked chicken and chorizo with cherry tomatoes
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
- 1.5 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 bulb garlic split into cloves but unpeeled
- salt and pepper
- 8 ounces chorizo (I used one ‘ring’ torn into smallish chunks)
- 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.
- Scatter the chorizo pieces over the chicken, followed by the basil and then the tomatoes.
- Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar (if using), then bake for 50 minutes to 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.
- Serve in dishes with toasted bread or with a potato side dish.
Mark says
Made this in cast iron skillet on my Weber kettle bbq and added some applewood smoke and a couple of chillis. Turned out amazingly delicious for a few simple ingredients. Banging recipe which will be a regular go to in this (UK) house!
Helen says
Hello Mark, and thank you so much for the review. So interesting to hear how you made it, and that it still turned out delicious! We’ve been making this for literally years in our house, and it never ceases to amaze me how delicious it is for so few ingredients, as you say. If you like fish, I’d also highly recommend this recipe: Greek oven baked fish Again, a few simple ingredients, but incredibly yummy!
Blair Lauer says
At your suggestion, I tried this tonight after loving the butternut squash and chorizo salad last week. This was wonderful too! The juicy tomatoes, garlic, and salty chorizo all complimented each other so we’ll. We served with steamed green beans and toasted buttered baguette slices. I think this would easily scale up for a large dinner party. Will definitely be keeping this in my regular rotation!
Helen says
Hello Blair! Oh, I’m so happy you decided to try it! Thank you! The flavours work really magically together, don’t they? One more suggestion: I don’t remember if you said what part of the world you’re in, but this chicken and butternut squash satay curry is another one of our ‘go-to’ recipes that never lets us down. It’s really perfect either for midweek meals (+ extra for the freezer) and also for serving to guests. I hope you don’t mind my suggestions! 😉
Hannah says
Hi can I use chicken breast as I don’t like thighs or legs
Helen says
Hi Hannah! You can but if I were you I’d add 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!
Fiona says
I have made this 4 times now & I have to say it’s up there with the most flavoursome & easy recipes I’ve done! During corona virus times it was extremely hard to find fresh basil but I’ve tried it tonight with dried. I also use lazy garlic & whole cloves because I love it strong! I’ve passed this on so many times thank u for showing us
Helen says
Hi Fiona! Thank you so much for the glowing review! It’s really good to hear you made this successfully with dried basil and lazy garlic. I have a similar version on the site with potatoes (patatas bravas traybake) if you’re interested in trying that one too!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
I love your recipe, I’ll be making it again!
Helen says
Thank you so much for letting me know, Shadi. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Rachel says
I adore this recipe! I’ve made it four times now thanks Helen.
If I wanted to add onions, would I soften them in the pan first? I know I shouldn’t ask as the recipe is perfect as it is!
Helen says
Hi Rachel! I’m so glad you like one of our favourite recipes! This has got to be the recipe that’s made most often in our house 😉 We have actually tried it with onions a couple of times. We don’t pre-cook them, we just add them with everything else. We quite liked the taste but it did make the dish a little more watery. In the long run we’ve just stuck with the original recipe! Thank you so much for reporting back! 🙂
Liz says
This was a hit for dinner!! So easy and the chorizo added magnificent flavor! Thanks for another winner, Helen!
Helen says
You’re welcome, Liz. I’m so glad you liked it!
Kevin says
Helen, gonna try this tonight but with tinned tomatoes and a little tomato paste and dried basil.
Just a thought; would it be OK with pork mince seasoned with sage and made into meatballs?
Helen says
Hi Kevin! I suppose you either tried this or didn’t by now? I’m not sure if it would work as well with tinned tomatoes, but you never know. Did you try it? I like the sound of the pork meatballs!
Dave says
Hi, do you need to add any liquid to the recipe or does the sauce just come from the tomatoes?
Helen says
Hi Dave! No, the cherry tomatoes kind of melt down in the oven and make a delicious sauce!
Arthur says
Thank you, I’ve just made your baked chicken with chorizo and tomatoes. It’s extremely easy and delicious. I didn’t have any cherry tomatoes so I just poured in a tin of peeled tomatoes. and it was quite delicious, although with fresh I can imagine that it would be better. I am now on my own and need recipes like this because after 50 years it’s difficult to reduce quantities sufficiently so freezing what’s left works for me.
Helen says
Hi Arthur! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your review. I’m so glad you found this recipe useful! We’ve been making it for literally years now and always have some left over for the freezer (or the next few night’s dinner!).
Definitely try it again with the cherry tomatoes (at least 3 or 4 punnets!). I think you’ll notice the difference. But it’s great to know that this still turns out well if you use canned tomatoes!
Kevan James says
Made this for family tonight. Easy to do. We all loved it. Now I’m recipe book, thanks. 👌
Helen says
Hi Kevan! So happy the family liked this one. It’s ever popular in our house too. Pretty much the recipe we have made the most for the longest length of time. It feeds us for 2 days too, so that’s another bonus. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Richard Archer says
Fantastic recipe, I made in slow cooker enough for two days love it with bread,
Helen says
Hi Richard! Thanks so much for taking the time to pop back and leave your review. I’m really interested to hear that you made it in the slow cooker! I’ve never tried this because I like the way the chicken and tomatoes go a bit sticky and brown in the oven. I’d be interested to see if you prefer it this way or in the slow cooker – or if it makes no difference to you!
In any case, so glad you enjoyed it. It’s been one of our go-to meals for literally years!
jim says
Everyone said I had made to much, funny really nothing left and everyone wanting more!!! Fantastic meal.
Helen says
Hi Jim, thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback. I always appreciate it – especially when it’s good news!
I’m so glad you proved everyone wrong and they enjoyed the meal so much! This is still one of our go-to midweek meals. We love it!
Emma says
Hi Helen! This looks delicious, but I’m bed-ridden and rely on carers. Is there a way to do this in a crockpot/slow cooker? 🤔
Helen says
Hello Emma! I really don’t see why you couldn’t try this in a crockpot. I’d just make sure to use skinless boneless thighs and possibly not as many tomatoes because there’s always more liquid in a slow cooker. I can’t guarantee it as I haven’t tried it this way, but I have a feeling it would still be delicious. I’m not sure there’s too much that could go wrong (famous last words!). Please do let me know if you do give it a go!
Emma says
Thanks, Helen, will do 🙂
Margaret says
Please excuse my ignorance. It says Chorizo, but there are several kinds of Chorizo. Did you use use beef, pork, or something else. Plan to make it tomorrow, so I bought both kinds.
Helen says
Hi Margaret! We like to use classic Spanish chorizo – the one you buy in a big long sausage and peel the skin off before using. I think it’s made of pork (?). To be honest though I don’t think it matters too much which chorizo you use – any will give the dish a lovely flavour. I hope you enjoy it!
Margaret says
Thank you for your reply. I will use the pork. Wednesday nights are family dinner nights, so I like to come up with something different each week.
Helen says
No problem, Margaret. That’s a really good idea – I like it! Well I really hope this doesn’t disappoint!
Lorraine @Not Quite Nigella says
One dish easy meals are the best! Also it looks like it makes quite a lot so it can go over a few nights if there are just two of you! 😀
Helen says
This always lasts us 2 nights, plus an extra portion for one of us for lunch on the third day 😉
Eva says
J’aime beaucoup tes vidéos Helen, c’est incroyable comment ça pareil encore plus simple! Une belle recette qui donne très envie de la goûter!
Helen says
Merci, Eva! Je suis tres heureuse d’avoir fait la recette encore plus simple!
Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says
Oodles of flavor? Sold! I’m so glad Mr. Scrummy got you to post this recipe…. even if it did take a little while to get out there (no worries, I have several of those too). I love how quick and easy this is to make – so perfect for a delicious and hardy weeknight meal. And I love the video too!
Helen says
Thanks, Kathleen! At least we had lots of time to perfect the recipe!
mira says
This dish looks awesome Helen! Love the video, too! Love chorizo and can’t wait to try it!
Helen says
Thanks so much, Mira!
La Torontoise says
Hele, thank you so much! Love this combination of ingredients! Two questions:
1. Do you cover it in the oven? (I have fears it would burn otherwise)
2. Can we make this in a cast-iron casserolle?
Please suuggest, I ahve all ingredient at home and will make this onight:-)
have a great weekend!
Helen says
Hi! So sorry for the late reply… I hope you still made this and it turned out OK! For next time, though… don’t cover in the oven, just keep an eye on it and stir about half way through (you want the tomatoes to be almost slightly charred on top). You can DEFINITEY make it in a cast iron casserole – that’s how I make mine 🙂 Good luck!
[email protected] says
This is a lovely comforting dish and I love how easy it is. I’ll just need some crusty bread to mop up all the lovely sauce 🙂
Helen says
You definitely need the crusty bread, Janette!