One Pot Baked Chicken and Rice

Serves 2

Easily scaled up this one pot chicken and rice has Spanish influences with saffron and paprika. It’s a good pay-off for five minutes of prep. In less than an hour you’ll have a meal on the table and that five minutes is the only input from you. Winner winner chicken dinner.

Ingredients:

500g chicken thighs (skin on, bone in or out)

150g paella rice

250g cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 red pepper, cut into strips

500ml (hot) chicken stock (gluten-free if required)

Pinch of saffron (optional)

2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 tbsp tomato purée

Salt and Pepper

Parsley, chopped to serve

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180c (fan).

Step 2: Get a deep baking dish (large enough to house a single layer of chicken) and pour over the rice, ensuring it is spread evenly over the base. Spread out the red pepper and tomatoes. Nestle the chicken thighs, skin side up on the top making sure they are in a single layer. Season the skin of the chicken with a little salt and pepper.

Step 3: Add the saffron, paprika and tomato purée to the hot chicken stock and stir to make sure the mixture is smooth. Carefully pour into the baking dish, avoiding the top of the chicken thighs.

Step 4: Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked through, and then garnish with a little chopped parsley and serve.