Chicken, Chorizo, Peppers and Lentil One Pot

This is a lovely, warming winter dish that will please all of the family, is economical and aside from a quick fifteen minutes of preparation, will cook nicely in the oven for an hour while you get on with other tasks.

This freezes really well too, so is great for batch cooking, which I'll be turning to a lot more in January in preparation for the arrival of our second little one.

I served with sweet mashed potato here, but it works well with rice, orzo or pasta too.

The below serves 3-4 people.

Chicken, Chorizo, Peppers and Lentil One Pot

Here's how:

• 6-8 chicken thighs or pieces (skin on)
• 1 pack cooking chorizo
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 3 tbsp red split lentils
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 jar passata
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 200ml chicken stock (I use a Knorr Chicken Stock Pot) 
• Black pepper to taste

Firstly place the oven on to pre-heat at around 170-180 degrees. And place a non-stick pan on the hob on a low heat.

Slice the peppers and place into a casserole dish.

Peel and slice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the dish.

Rinse the lentils well in a sieve and place into the casserole dish.

Now slice the chorizo sausages and add to the non-stick pan to sear on both sides. The chorizo will exude a lovely red tinged oil, once seared on both sides remove and add to the casserole dish.

Now cook the chicken thighs, skin-side-down first and completely brown off the skin until it's quite crisp, then turn over to brown the other side for 3-4 minutes.

Add to the casserole dish and add the stock, passata, tomato puree, paprika, cayenne and a good pinch of black pepper. You shouldn't need salt as the stock will have a salty tang, and the chorizo too.

Stir to ensure the chicken is covered and add a little more water if not. Place the lid on and place into the oven for an hour.

Allow to stand for a few minutes when you remove from the oven and serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

TIP: If serving to small children or toddlers like Bridget, then shred one piece of chicken on a separate plate as soon as you take out of the oven and allow to stand for five minutes to cool down sufficiently as it will be piping hot.