BATCH COOKING IS ALL ABOUT CREATING EASY, READY-TO-EAT MEALS IN VOLUME. IT IS A TIME-SAVING AND CONVENIENT APPROACH, PERFECT TO SERVE FOR LASTMINUTE GATHERINGS WITH FRIENDS.
Braised Chicken and Chorizo Bake
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
6 whole (bone in skin on) chicken Maryland or 10 bone-in-skin on chicken thighs
4 mild chorizo, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1cm pieces
3 brown onions, cut into large pieces
1 tbsp garlic, chopped or crushed
2 red capsicum, cut into large wedges
1 large sweet potato, cut into 2-3cm cubes
2 x 400g jars tomato pasta sauce (garden veg or whatever flavours you like)
4 field mushrooms, cut into chunks
6 bay leaves
1 tbsp smoked paprika or sweet paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano or mixed herbs
Oil and salt and pepper for seasoning
METHOD
- Get yourself a good size deep baking tray to fit in all the ingredients and set aside. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees fan assisted.
- Use a good-sized pot, heat it up and add a splash of oil. Once hot, add your chorizo pieces to it and cook them for a minute or two. Turn down the heat and remove the chorizo with tongs to keep the chorizo oil in the pot. Oil the chicken and season. Heat the pot back up and brown off the chicken pieces. Once the chicken is browned on both sides take them out and rest on a plate.
- Warm the pot to a medium high heat. Add the onion, fry it down for a minute, add in the garlic and give it a stir. Put in the capsicum, sweet potato and mushrooms and cook for another minute, giving it a stir. Then add in the jars of tomato puree. Rinse out the jars and add the water to the pot too. Mix in the paprika, dried herbs and bay leaves and season up the sauce. Put in the chorizo and turn off the heat.
- Get your big roasting dish ready. Put the tomato sauce mix in the tray. Then push in on top the chicken pieces with the skin up and get them amply surrounded with the sauce.
- Pop the uncovered tray into the oven on shelf 2 or 3 and bake the dish for 50 to 60 minutes. Have a look and see how things are coming along. It should be smelling great and be ready to go. Remove from oven.
- Steam any additional vegetables you want to have for the meal if you are having the dish as dinner. Remember to cook some extra vegetables to add to the meal packs.
- To pack the meals, allow the tray bake to cool on the bench for an hour. Once cooled, portion the meat, vegetables and sauce into stackable containers. Label the container, including the date you made the meal. Freeze the meals so you can start to create a good supply of tasty dishes in your freezer
There are an endless variety of dishes that are ideal for batch cooking. Nearly every type of soup stores and freezes well, as do tray dishes such as lasagna, vegetable Moussaka, and pasta bakes, both tomato and cream based.
Batch cooking is as easy as doubling up the recipe and adjusting cook times. Place them in stackable storage containers, and label meals with details of dishes and dates cooked.
Try GemLife Chef Matt Conquest’s simple, flavoursome braised chicken and chorizo bake.
Matt loves to fill this dish with lots of vegetables, adding freshly cooked green or steamed corn for variety.