STM recipe: Elizabeth Hewson’s honey-glazed chicken with chorizo and chickpeas

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: chicken thighs are unmatched for their versatility and affordability. Here, they take on a Spanish twist, roasted with chorizo, capsicum, paprika and chickpeas. A drizzle of honey at the end transforms the chicken skin into something crispy, salty and sweet. This is low-effort cooking with big flavour. For the best results, use skin-on, bone-in thighs — it’s all about that golden, irresistible skin.

Ingredients

1 chorizo (100g-120g)

1 red onion, cut into 1cm wedges

1 red capsicum, halved, deseeded and cut into 1cm strips

1 yellow capsicum, halved, deseeded and cut into 1cm strips

2 × 400g cans chickpeas, drained

1 sprig of rosemary (about 20cm long), leaves pulled off

4–6 chicken thigh cutlets, skin on, bone in

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt flakes

dried chilli flakes (optional)

2–3 tbsp honey or hot honey

Get ahead: Prep everything in the dish 24 hours ahead, bring to room temperature, then bake and continue with recipe.

Preparation

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced.

Step 2 Roughly chop or squeeze out the chorizo into 1cm bite-sized nuggets.

Step 3 Find a large, deep baking tray, big enough to fit the chicken in a single layer without touching. Toss the chorizo, onion, capsicum, chickpeas and rosemary together in the tray. Place the chicken on top, drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt flakes and dried chilli flakes, if using. Give everything a good toss, then spread it out evenly in the tray. Place the chicken on top, skin side up, ensuring the skin is spread flat (it has a tendency to tuck under).

Step 4 Roast for 30 minutes, then take it out and gently toss the chickpeas, capsicum, onion and chorizo in the juices, keeping the chicken skin-side up. Roast for another 15 minutes, until the chicken is golden, crisp and cooked through. Drizzle the honey over the chicken (about ½ tbsp per cutlet) and roast for a final 5 minutes.

Step 5 Remove the tray from the oven and serve with crusty bread and a simple green leaf salad.

Leftovers: This will keep in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in the oven until warmed through.

Serves 4

Extracted from Home Food by Elizabeth Hewson, photography by Nikki To. Murdoch Books $45