One-pan Chicken And Chorizo With Cherry Tomatoes
on Jun 20, 2022
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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.
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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.
Have a little extra time? You won’t regret making this homemade Greek style bread to go with your casserole!
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
- Chicken and brussel sprouts with mushrooms and honey balsamic sauce (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!
One-pan Chicken And Chorizo With Cherry Tomatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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
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!
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!
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!
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! 😉
Hi can I use chicken breast as I don’t like thighs or legs
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!
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
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!
I love your recipe, I’ll be making it again!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Shadi. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
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!
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! 🙂
This was a hit for dinner!! So easy and the chorizo added magnificent flavor! Thanks for another winner, Helen!
You’re welcome, Liz. I’m so glad you liked it!
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?
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!
Hi, do you need to add any liquid to the recipe or does the sauce just come from the tomatoes?
Hi Dave! No, the cherry tomatoes kind of melt down in the oven and make a delicious sauce!
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.
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!
Made this for family tonight. Easy to do. We all loved it. Now I’m recipe book, thanks. 👌
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!