Try Colm O'Gorman's recipe for a classic one pot Spanish chicken dish

Arroz con Pollo is a bit like a paella but is cooked in a casserole

I love to add butternut squash to my Arroz con Pollo

This classic Spanish one pot dish is a bit like a paella but is cooked in a casserole. I make it using a whole chicken which I then portion down into eight pieces, but you can use pre-portioned chicken to save a little time and hassle if you wish. Portioning the chicken only takes about ten minutes and will save you a few euros. I also prefer to use a combination of white and dark meat, as opposed to using all leg or thigh portions, but those will work perfectly well if you prefer.

I love to add butternut squash to my Arroz con Pollo. It adds some beautiful sweetness to the dish, and the squash is fabulous with the chicken and the lightly spiced tomato sauce.

Use paella rice if possible but if you cannot get hold of any, then risotto rice will also work well.

If you have any leftovers, though I suspect you will not, they will keep in the fridge for a few days and reheat very well.

Arroz con Pollo

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days and reheat very well.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 50 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 5 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.6kg

• 1 butternut squash

• 200g chorizo

• 1 onion

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 yellow or red pepper

• 1 green pepper

• 1 tin cherry tomatoes

• 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp chill flakes

• 500ml chicken stock

• 250g paella rice

• 1 tsp flaky sea slat

• Good grind black pepper

• Half a lemon

• 35g fresh flat leaf parsley

Method

1. If you are using a whole chicken, begin by cutting it into portions. Start by pulling a leg away from the body to see where the thigh attaches to the body. Use a sharp knife to cut through the skin between the thigh and the breast. Pull on the leg a little more and wiggle it to see where the thigh connects with the joint on the back of the chicken. Use a sharp knife to cut through that joint.

2. Place the leg and thigh portion skin-side down. Bend the leg to feel for the ball joint where the drumstick and thigh are connected. Use your knife to cut through the joint and separate the thigh and drumstick. Repeat with the other leg. Remove any excess fat from the thighs.

3. Once you have removed both legs, place the chicken on a board, breast side down. Use a meat shears or a sharp knife to cut along one side of the backbone. Next, cut along the other side and remove the backbone. Turn the chicken over and press down on the top with your hands to flatten the crown of the chicken. Use a sharp knife to cut lengthways along the centre to separate the breasts. Trim away any protruding bones, especially small rib bones, and any excess fat. Cut each breast widthways into two pieces, leaving the wings on one piece. Set aside for now.

4. Trim the top and bottom from the squash. There is no need to peel the squash for this recipe. The skin will help it to hold its shape as it cooks in the casserole and will be soft and tender to eat. Cut the squash in two lengthways and remove the seeds and pith. Cut it into 2-3cm chunks and set aside.

5. Slice the chorizo. Peel and chop the onion. Peel and chop or crush the garlic. Wash, deseed and slice the peppers.

6. Heat a heavy casserole dish over a high heat. When it is good and hot, add the chorizo and reduce the heat to medium. You do not need to use any oil to fry the chorizo as there is plenty of fat in the sausage, and this fat will also add lots of flavour to the dish. Fry it until it is starting to go crisp, then use a slotted spoon to remove it from the casserole dish. Retain the fat in the pan and add the chicken. Cook the chicken until it is seared and has a bit of colour all over, about eight to ten minutes will do it. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

7. Add the onion and the garlic. You can add a splash of olive oil at this stage if required. Sautee the onions and garlic for three to five minutes over a medium/low heat until they begin to soften. Add the sliced peppers, the butternut squash, along with the paprika and the chilli flakes. Stir and cook for just another few minutes. Add the tin of cherry tomatoes. Half fill the tin with water and give that a swirl to get the last of the tomato juice from the tin before adding it to the casserole dish along with the chicken stock. Stir and then add the chicken and the salt. Bring the casserole to the boil, reduce the heat to low and pop on a lid. Simmer for fifteen minutes.

8. Heat your oven to 180 Celsius.

9. Add the chorizo and pour the rice in around the chicken pieces. Stir gently to get all the rice submerged. Transfer the casserole dish to the oven, leaving the lid off. Cook in the oven for twenty minutes. Do not stir or disturb the dish as it cooks, just leave it alone and the rice will soak up all the liquid. Remove the dish from the oven after twenty minutes. Wash and roughly chop the parsley. Squeeze half the lemon over the top and scatter the chopped parsley over as well.

10. Serve in warm bowls, or simply pop the dish into the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves.