Prep time:

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 4

8 Large Free Range Chicken Thighs

2tbsp Olive Oil

250g Mini Cooking Chorizo, cubed

1 Medium Onion, finely chopped

2 Cloves of Garlic, chopped

3 Red and Yellow Peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

200g Can of Italian chopped tomatoes

2 Fresh Bay Leaves

150ml Dry White Wine

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Chopped Parsley, to garnish

A real family favourite at any time of the year. Whole chicken thighs with skin and bone give the best flavour, but you can use any chicken joints. Try Romano peppers for their sweet flavour, but if you’re in a hurry, substitute a jar of ready-grilled peppers. Serve with baked potatoes and broccoli in winter; with bread and a salad in summer.

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan oven 170°C/Gas Mark 5. Season the chicken pieces. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole and cook the chicken thighs on a high heat on all sides until golden brown. Do this in two batches. Drain on kitchen paper.
  2. Add the chorizo to the pan and cook for a minute, then add the onion, garlic and peppers. Stir over a medium heat for 5 minutes until starting to brown then add the tomatoes, bay leaves, wine and seasoning to the pan. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven for an hour until the chicken is completely cooked through. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Busy mum’s lifesaver: Mini cooking chorizo is now available in the supermarket or good delis and really makes a difference to the end result of this dish. Use cubed pancetta or sliced regular chorizo in an emergency.

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

Daisy cupcakes

These are an indulgent treat after the fasting of Lent. Change the amount of buttercream if needed – the ratio is twice the amount of icing sugar to butter, which makes it easy to adjust.

Cheesy chicks

Almost too cute to eat, these are surprisingly easy to make and have gone down well with my testers, as the main ingredients are cheese and potato.

Flowerpot carrot cakes

These little carrot cakes are made in paper cake cases, then popped into tiny flowerpots for a seasonal twist. They were made using standard muffin cases and 6.5cm diameter terracotta flowerpots, but they will taste the same in straightforward cupcake...