This one is for when you have a group of ravenous hungry teenagers due to burst through the door, covered in mud screaming for fodder. A bit of a store cupboard diamond, it’s quick, easy, vitamin packed super tasty and filling. Serve with long crispy batons of seeded baguette, warmed in the oven ready to soak up the juices.

Vegetables sneakily lurk in the sauce and are caramelised, golden and sweet after cooking slowly under the chicken. The beans add fibre and protein.

I usually allow 2 chicken thigh fillets but if you have teenage athletes around the table, allow for 3 each. Buy them skin on as it will keep the chicken moist throughout cooking – you can always take the skin off when serving if you want to cut the calories.

As is with most of my cooking, the quantities for the most part come with a big “ish”. If you have an extra couple of mouths around the table, throw in more onion, another tin of tomatoes and beans, together with extra stock and chicken to bulk up the quantity. You get the gist. There are several hundred versions of this combination, it’s difficult to get wrong.

 

Chicken and Chorizo Bake – Serves 6 -8

Set oven to 200c/fan 180c/Gas 6 and prep all the ingredients in advance. This will allow you to hold court over the hungry teenagers with a glass of wine, grilling them on current boyfriend/girlfriend status, get match stats and other essential information.

12-15 chicken thigh fillets, skin on and well seasoned

3-4 red onions, quartered

3-4 tbsp hemp/ Carotino oil

2 x large garlic cloves, sliced.

1 x 400g tin/carton Italian chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g tin Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed off

150ml of hot chicken stock,

Chorizo sausage, about 3-4″ in length, sliced to about 5-10mm each.

Granary baguette to serve. Or, wholegrain rice & a fluffy green salad.

 

Scatter the onion and garlic with the oil over the base of a large, well oiled roasting tin. Cook off gently until they soften and start to colour.

Add the hot stock and chopped tomatoes, then snuggle the chicken thighs evenly over the top of them ,leaving the skin side up.  Pop into the hot oven for 30 minutes.

Add the chorizo over the top, putting back in the oven for 10 minutes.

Take out and stir in the cannellini beans, taking care not to splash too much of the sauce over the crisp chicken skin. Back in the oven for a final 5 minutes.

Take straight to the centre of the table for the hungry hoards to descend and enjoy the break in the chatter for the 5 minutes it will take them to polish it off.