Friday, January 13, 2012

Chicken chorizo salad


I was reading The Guardian's review (here) of Bill Granger's new London restaurant, and there was some snarky feedback about the fact that Bill is not really a 'chef', but rather, a savvy cafe operator and arranger of food (in that case, I'd like to hear their comments on Donna Hay...)  But is there anything wrong with simple, fresh food served in pleasant surroundings? No, nothing wrong at all.

And here's another non-chef - Nigella Lawson. The lack of cheffing skills certainly hasn't hurt her reputation, either. Regardless of the number of fancy cookbooks I own (heaps), it's always the ones that are not too complex that I end up cooking from, and Nigella's are at the top of the pile (together with DH and BG). The throwing-together of ingredients for this chicken and chorizo salad was inspired by something on the Nigella Kitchen tv show. I substituted croutons for the original potato to make it even easier. It's tasty and quick and I love it.

Chicken and Chorizo Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients
4 small chicken thigh fillets, trimmed of fat
1 chorizo sausage, sliced
1 small red onion, cut into chunks
½ red or yellow capsicum, deseeded, cut into chunks
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks OR a handful or two of bread croutons
1 tblsp olive oil
½ tsp dried oregano
½ cos (romaine) lettuce, trimmed, leaves separated

Method
1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
2. Place the chicken, chorizo, onion, capsicum and potatoes, if using, into a baking tray that is large enough to hold everything in a single layer. Pour over the olive oil, then sprinkle with the dried oregano. Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are soft.
3. If you are using croutons instead of potatoes, put the croutons into the baking tray for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.
4. To serve: Divide the cos lettuce leaves between 2 plates, then top with the baked chicken, chorizo and vegetables.

Put the chicken thigh fillets in a roasting pan with the chorizo, onion and capsicum, and roast.
Add the croutons towards the end of the cooking time.

Serve on cos lettuce leaves with the oil from the baking tray drizzled over.


------
Another in a series: What Cat is That?*
(or, What is wrong with this picture?**)
* It's evil Henry
** What's wrong is that Tabitha can't go into the backyard when Henry's around because she'll hiss at him and then he tries to scratch her

18 comments:

  1. This salad looks scrumptious. How can you not love anything that has chorizo in it? :P

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh poor Evil Henry. I think he must be neglected at home and finds you guys more interesting. Love this salad! But if you were to remove the chorizo I may not love it as much

    ReplyDelete
  3. Evil Henry even has a bit of an evil smirk happening in that photo.

    I think chorizo makes the world go round.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Pan juices make the best salad dressings! I could even handle a bit of grilled haloumi with this heheh.

    As for Evil Henry, um, keep us updated.

    ReplyDelete
  5. People are WAY to overly critical about all things food. Just chill. And if it tastes good, then stop complaining!

    This sounds super delicious. Definitely the most flavorful salad I've seen in a while!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love anything done simply and with colour. This salad ticks all the boxes. I am loving the "Evil Henry" saga :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. This salad is really a dish down my alley...I love all the vibrant colours too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Naughty Henry (he does look like he is up to something)! And I'm a fiend for chorizo and salads in this weather :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. Delicious!

    Cute cat by the way ; )

    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh! I like how you toss together the chicken, chorizo and the peppers in the oven...makes so much easier and less to wash. Great salad, love the flavors in it.
    Have a great week ahead Bel :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Boo to Evil Henry! He's even that steel grey colour that evil cats are in Disney movies.

    (And more on topic) I think that assembling food is a much maligned skill. Not everyone can (or wants to) plate up a delicate balance of something or other for dinner. I'd much rather a well assembled meal anyday.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the way the colours pop in this dish. Agree about chef qualifications (overated). Ditto Donna Hay.

    ReplyDelete
  13. oh dear evil henry! I have evil archie...he absolutely torments my mio...waits for her to come out and then completely attacks her. poor mio is a prisoner in her own home...but i have plans to have spray guns ready in hiding spots to spray evil archie! delicious salad!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow, I love this. I'll have to try it myself

    ReplyDelete
  15. hehe...poor Tabitha..but she has no choice, hasn't she? Seems like Henry is the boss...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oops...forgot to tell you how much I love your colourful and flavourful salad.

    ReplyDelete
  17. chorizo and potatoes make an excellent marriage. You and I have dimilsr tastes when it comes to salads. This is definitely one I would enjoy a lot. Naughty Tabitha and Henry. Why can't they be like the chorizo and potato?

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin