How Can I Add Extra Flavour To The Spanish Chicken Traybake?

Asked by ldeitell. Answered on 9th August 2022

Full question

I read all the great reviews for the Spanish Chicken With Chorizo And Potatoes whilst I was trying to work out what to cook for Sunday night supper. I marinated the chicken in garlic olive oil, smashed fresh garlic cloves, salt and pepper and smoked paprika for several hours before assembling the ingredients on the tray and baking at 400 degrees for an hour. But the chicken had no flavor and the only thing with any oomph was the chorizo. And everything was swimming in oil even though I only put two tablespoons of oil into the bag I marinated chicken in and then didn't add more to the sheet pan. What went wrong?

Our answer

Nigella's Spanish Chicken With Chorizo And Potatoes (from KITCHEN) is a one-pan traybake that only needs a crisp, green salad to go alongside. Chicken thighs on the bone are ideal as they do not dry out as easily as chicken breast. However, some chicken thighs can be quite fatty and we suspect this is why there was a lot of oil in the pan. We would suggest trimming away any loose pieces of skin from the thighs and just leave enough skin to cover the top and side of the thighs.

The type of chorizo used can also affect the dish. You should use the type of chorizo that needs cooking (sometimes labelled as Mexican chorizo) and the amount of spice in the sausage can vary. If you are not sure, cook a small piece in a frying pan and taste it before cooking the traybake. If you want more spice then you could sprinkle over a little hot smoked paprika or crushed chillies (red pepper flakes) mixed with a couple of generous pinches of salt and a good grinding of pepper befofe putting the traybake in the oven. Avoid using the salami-style chorizo (sometimes called Spanish chorizo) as this can often be less spicy than the type that needs cooking.