Hairy Bikers Spanish Chicken Bake

Hairy Bikers Spanish chicken bake is a one-tin roast of chicken thighs, chorizo, new potatoes, tomatoes and peppers with smoked paprika and oregano. It serves 4 at 370 calories per serving and bakes in three 20-minute stages over an hour.

This comes from the Hairy Dieters series, and the headnote says “you’d think this dish would be lacking in flavour” at 370 calories. It’s far from it. The chorizo renders its fat into the vegetables as they roast, which seasons the whole tin without needing any added oil.

The three-stage bake is what makes everything cook perfectly. Vegetables go in first, then the chicken sits on top, then the temperature rises and the peppers join at the end. Nothing overcooks because each element gets exactly the time it needs.

Hairy Bikers Spanish Chicken Bake

Recipe by Pinch PerfectCourse: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

370

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

15

minutes

A Hairy Dieters traybake with 8 slashed chicken thighs roasted on a bed of new potatoes, tomatoes, two types of onion and 8 whole garlic cloves. Chorizo goes in at stage two and green pepper strips at stage three. No added oil needed.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges

• 1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges

• 500g new potatoes, quartered lengthways

• 8 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled

• 8 medium tomatoes, quartered

• 75g chorizo

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into strips

• flaked sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Roast the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Put the onions, potatoes, garlic and tomatoes in a large roasting tin, season and toss together. Roast for 20 minutes.
• Prepare the chicken: While the vegetables roast, skin and slice the chorizo into 5mm rounds. Slash each chicken thigh 2–3 times with a knife and season with pepper. Mix the paprika and oregano together.
• Add the chicken: Remove the tin, scatter the chorizo over the vegetables and turn everything. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle with the paprika and oregano. Season with salt and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
• Finish: Remove the tin, tilt it to collect the juices and spoon them back over the chicken. Tuck the pepper strips around the chicken and vegetables. Turn the oven up to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7 and bake for a final 20 minutes until the chicken is golden.

FAQs

Why bake in three stages?

New potatoes need a full 40 minutes to roast through to the centre, but chicken thighs only need 40 and green peppers only need 20. If everything went in at the same time, the potatoes would still be crunchy while the chicken dried out and the peppers turned to mush.

Si and Dave’s three-stage approach gives each ingredient exactly the time it needs. The vegetables get a head start, the chicken goes on top for the middle 40 minutes, and the peppers join for just the final 20. Everything finishes at the same moment.

Why slash the chicken thighs?

The 2–3 cuts through each thigh let heat and seasoning reach the centre of the meat. Without slashes, the paprika and oregano would sit on the surface while the inside stayed bland.

The slashes also help the chicken cook more evenly, since thicker parts of the thigh take longer than thinner edges. Opening up the flesh reduces that difference so the whole thigh finishes at the same time. If you’ve made the Hairy Bikers piri piri chicken, you’ll recognise the same technique used for the same reason on a whole spatchcocked bird.

Why is there no cooking oil in this recipe?

The 75g of chorizo releases enough rendered fat during roasting to coat the vegetables and stop them sticking. Si and Dave don’t add a single drop of oil, which is one of the ways they keep this under 400 calories.

The tomatoes break down and release juice as they roast, which mixes with the chorizo fat to create a natural sauce in the tin. That’s why the basting step at stage three works so well and gives the chicken a glossy finish.

Why increase the temperature for the final stage?

The first two stages cook at 200°C, which is gentle enough to soften the vegetables and cook the chicken through. The final jump to 220°C crisps the chicken skin and gives the potatoes golden edges in the last 20 minutes.

The pepper strips are added at this stage precisely because they need high heat and a short time. A green pepper roasted at 200°C for 40 minutes would go mushy and lose all colour. At 220°C for 20 minutes, it softens while keeping some firmness and stays bright green against the golden chicken and red tomatoes.

Can I use bone-in chicken thighs?

You can, but add 10 minutes to stage two so the thicker, bone-in pieces cook through fully. Bone-in thighs give better flavour since the bone keeps the meat juicier during the full hour of roasting.

The calorie count stays similar because the bone itself has no calories, just weight. The main difference is presentation and eating experience. Bone-in thighs look more rustic in the roasting tin while boneless give neater portions that are easier to serve to children.

How do I store leftovers?

Cover the tin with foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat at 180°C for 15 minutes until piping hot throughout. The potatoes crisp back up nicely in the oven, and the chorizo flavour deepens overnight as it soaks into the tomato juices.

Don’t freeze this one since the potatoes go watery and the peppers lose their texture. It’s best as a cook-and-eat-within-three-days dish. The Hairy Bikers beef goulash freezes much better if you want to batch cook something similar for the freezer.