Chicken, Cider, Chorizo Bean Casserole with Braised Rice.

Ingredients

Serves 3-4

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 25g butter
  • 6 chicken thighs, skin removed & bone in
  • 1 white onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 200g raw chorizo sausage, sliced
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • 1 yellow pepper, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 1 green pepper, sliced
  • 200ml dry cider
  • 350ml chicken stock or beef stock??
  • 300g white beans (cooked in salted boiling water)
  • 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • Salt and black pepper

Braised Rice

Serves 4

  • 50g butter
  • 25g red onion (finely diced)
  • 100g long grain rice
  • 200ml vegetable stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • Flat-leaf Parsley (chopped)

Method

  1. In a medium size frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and butter. Season the chicken thighs with salt and using a thongs gently place the chicken thighs on the pan season side down.
  2. Season the other side of the chicken with salt and black pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes to seal in the chicken and turn over.
  3. To make the casserole, heat the oil in a heavy-based pot. Add in the onion, garlic and chorizo. Allow the onions to soften and the oil from the chorizo to colour the onion. Add in the picked thyme leaves.
  4. Add in the sliced peppers and stir to combine and coat in the oil. Add in the dry cider, stock and bring to the boil.
  5. Gently add in the sealed chicken thighs into the casserole followed by the juices from the pan. Add in the par-cooked white beans and stir through. Place the lid on the pot and allow to simmer for 40-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through stirring occasionally. 
  6. After 40-45 minutes, the chicken should be cooked, when the point of a knife is inserted it should be tender. Add in the chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Braised Rice

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
  2. Place 25g of butter in a saucepan.  Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened but not coloured.  Add the in rice. Add twice the amount of stock to rice.  
  3. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, season and cover with buttered parchment paper and tinfoil.
  4. Place in the oven for approximately 18-20 minutes until cooked. Remove rice from oven. Stir in the herbs. Serve immediately.