Chorizo Roast Chicken

 My first ever present from D was a cookbook.  We’d only been dating for a couple of weeks when the Christmas holidays began and I vanished to spend Christmas with my family in Aberdeen and New Year with friends in Paris.  When he sprung his gift on me I was embarrassed – I hadn’t got him anything! – but he reassured me by saying that because he expected to taste all the recipes, this gift was going to benefit him as much as me.  And he was right, for many of his favourite dishes come from this cookbook: Jamie’s Dinners.

I regularly used to ask D to choose a meal for me to cook for him but I’ve stopped that now.  Am I a meanie?  No.  I just know what the answer will always be: Chorizo Roast Chicken.  This is a recipe that I discovered in Jamie’s Dinners but have continued to adapt.  The original recipe is incredible simple.  My changes make the process more complicated but, I promised you, it’s worth it.  The potatoes are crispier and the gravy is amazing.  🙂

Chorizo Roast Chicken

(Serves 4)

2kg free range chicken

2 tblspns smoked paprika

1kg potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 lemons

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

400g chorizo, cut into 2 cm pieces

Seasoning

Olive oil

A little stock

• Place the chicken in a deep baking tray, season and rub with the smoked paprika.
• Add the potatoes and lemon to a pan of cold water.  Bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins.  Drain.
• Pierce the lemons and stuff into the chicken’s cavity along with the thyme.
• Give the potatoes a good shake to create some rough edges.
• Meanwhile, add the chorizo to a heavy based frying pan and heat gently until the sausage releases enough fat to cover the base of the pan. 
• Remove the chorizo from the frying pan.  Add the parboiled potatoes to the same frying pan and coat with the flavoured fat.
• Add the potatoes and chorizo to the baking tray containing the chicken.
• Wet some greaseproof paper and cover the chicken and potatoes tightly.
• Cook in a 220oC oven for 1hr and 45 mins.
• Remove grease proof paper and cook for another 10 mins to crisp up the chicken’s skin.
• Remove pan from oven.  Tip chicken to release all the juices contained in the cavity.  Place chicken on a plate and leave to rest.
• Remove potatoes from pan and add to clean baking tray.  Place back in oven for 10 mins to crisp up.
• Meanwhile, place original baking tray on the stove over a med-low heat.  Add a little stock to chicken’s juices and the chorizo pieces.  Stir well to create a gravy.
• Slice chicken and serve with the roast potatoes, lots of green veg and the chunky chorizo gravy over the top.
• Yum, yum, yum.