One-pan Chicken And Chorizo With Cherry Tomatoes

The perfect one pan chicken and chorizo recipe

It took me a long time to post this one pan chicken & chorizo recipe, because I’d always seen it 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? Well, chicken and chorizo are truly a match made in heaven. Add in really fresh basil, garlic and mountains of cherry tomatoes and it’s a perfect mix of fresh and punchy Mediterranean flavors.

Also, you don’t need to pre-cook anything. Just pile it all into the one big dish and pop it into the oven. In less than an hour you’ll have a delicious home cooked chicken dinner on the table.

Arguably, this dish tastes even better reheated the next day. What’s for sure is that it’s on regular rotation at our house. We’ve made it both for ourselves and for guests too many times to count, and you wouldn’t believe how much people rave over such a simple dish!

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

We really hope you come to love this simple chicken chorizo casserole as much as we do. 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!

• 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: 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. You can substitute with ‘grape tomatoes’ or any other small tomato variety. They ‘melt’ down into the dish, making an absolutely delicious sauce. However… 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.
• 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!

How do you make one pan 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.

How to serve your casserole

• I like to keep this chorizo chicken the 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. If you want to level up the toasts, try these 10-minute parmesan toasts. 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.
• Have a little extra time? You won’t regret making this homemade Greek style bread to go with your casserole! Or how about garlic bread made speedily in your air fryer?
• A rice dish could go well, too. How about this simple Greek lemon rice with chickpeas?

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!).
• 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, drizzle with olive oil and give them a 20-minute head start in the oven before adding everything else to your tray bake. Make sure you use a really big baking dish that will fit everything in without overcrowding the pan.
• Stir some big olives in for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time (watch your teeth if they have stones in!).

Storing and freezing

Somehow we think this 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.

More one pan chicken dinners

• This one pan Greek chicken and potatoes is another eternal family favorite. Try it and you’ll see why.
• The simplest stove top chicken and rice (30-minute meal!)
• If you love this dish, you’ll enjoy this stovetop Mediterranean chicken casserole, too.
• Chicken and brussel sprouts with mushrooms and honey balsamic sauce (delicious AND healthy!)
• This amazing sheet pan chicken tikka puts a delicious, healthy Indian twist on a chicken tray bake.