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. Got leftovers? Try these easy halloumi kebabs with chorizo, tomatoes and honey lime dressing!
- 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!).
Take a virtual trip to Spain
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!
Loving the Spanish food vibe here in general? The Chef & The Dish runs a beautiful online San Sebastian cooking class teaching you the art of San Sebastian’s famous ‘pinchos’ or small bites to share with friends. Alternatively, you can browse their classes and choose the one you like the sound of best. Use code 5TheDish to save 5% off any Chef & The Dish class! What an amazing and memorable date night or special gift! (affiliate links)
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!
Finish your dinner with this amazing San Sebastian cheesecake, or choose one of these 11 really easy dessert recipes (6 ingredients or less).
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.
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! 🙂