How to make Mediterranean baked chicken and rice
Presenter and food writer Jo Pratt shares her family's well-loved no-fuss recipe
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Your support makes all the difference."My mum would make numerous versions of this recipe for suppers, family gatherings or when we were on Mediterranean holidays while I was growing up.
"She would vary the herbs, vegetables and cuts of meat (or fish) depending on what was available and it was always a real hit. Now I make this frequently for my own family, and this particular recipe tends to be a favourite with my children," said the food stylist and author of The Flexible Vegetarian.
How to make Mediterranean baked chicken and rice
Ingredients
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4 skinless chicken breasts
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2 tbsp olive oil
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1 white or red onion, chopped
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100g cooking chorizo, cut into pieces
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1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
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2 cloves garlic, crushed
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250g Basmati rice
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2 medium courgette, sliced
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500ml passata
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375ml white wine (or chicken stock if you prefer not to use wine)
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1 tsp balsamic vinegar 8-10 sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
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180g pitted black or green olives, halved
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1 small bunch of basil, torn
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Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Cut 2-3 deep slits in the chicken breasts and season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a flameproof lidded casserole dish and add the chicken. Fry over a high heat for a couple of minutes each side until brown. Remove from the dish.
Add the onion, chorizo, red pepper and garlic. Fry for 5 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the courgette and rice. Stir until the rice is coated in the rich red chorizo then stir in the remaining ingredients. Season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
Return the chicken and any juices to the dish, pushing each piece into the sauce so it is partly covered. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, the rice tender and the sauce is rich, juicy and tasty. Serve hot.
Tilda is once again partnering with the World Food Programme and donating a meal for every bag of Pure Basmati Dry (5kg, 1kg) and TSB sold in the UK to new and expectant mums in Bangladesh.
To support the campaign, a host of personalities have donated recipes to create the Mums Helping Mums cookbook, which can be downloaded at tilda.com.