This is and easy no hassle chilli. Chicken and Aubergine Chilli makes a great change from a beef chilli. Also there are loads of vegetables in there, stealing all the glory. I know this goes against most other recipes and traditionalist will say that chillis should be made in a pot. However don’t knock it until you try it and by baking it in the oven the vegetables caramelise and the tomato sauce goes all sweet and gooey. The aubergines in particular take on another dimension when roasted first.
This delightful dish was magicked up due to plain poor food planning. That and the need to cook around family activities.
Serve with brown rice, flour tortillas, soured cream, cheese and avocado.
Another variation is paprika chicken, which omits the beans and aubergine.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 chicken legs
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 red pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 aubergine, cut into sticks about half a finger length and half a finger width.
- 1 courgette, top and tail, cut in half and then slice
- 4 garlic cloves, leave whole
- 2 tins of tomato
- 1 tin black beans
- 2 tins mixed beans in water
- 3 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
- Brown Rice
Equipment
- Roasting dish, about
- Pan for rice
Method
1 hour 15 minutes before you eat or in advance, you can then cling film
- Put the oven on at 220c
- Prepare all the vegetables
- Add the herbs, spices and oil in the roasting dish and mix together.
- Add chicken and coat both sides in marinade. Then stack to one side of the tray.
- Now add the vegetables and throw in the whole garlic cloves, skins still on.
- Mix through and make sure everything’s coated in the marinade.
- Now place the chicken in the centre of the tray and spread the vegetables evenly around.
1 hour before you eat
- The oven should have warmed up by now so add the tray and turn the temperature down to 180c.
- You’ve now got 15 mins to spare.
45 mins before you eat
- Get the tray out the oven, turn the veg and make space to add the tinned tomatoes.
- Remove the chicken onto a plate
- Drain all the beans and add to the tray
- Add tinned tomatoes (it doesn’t matter if it touch’s some of the veg/ chicken) and return into the oven.
- Mix throughly and place the chicken legs on top
30 mins before you eat
- Put the kettle on for the rice.
- Put the rice on, for 4 people it will be 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water.
- Another 10 mins to chat or run around.
- Prepare the avocado if you’re having it, if need help have a look at this article
- Heat the tortillas in a hot pan – they’ll need about a minute on each side, until they just start to colour.
5 mins before you eat
- Check the rice, should be nearly done
- Remove tray from the oven. Take the chicken out and place on a plate, then mix the sauce together.
- You can either serve the chicken legs whole or carve up and mix into the sauce
- Serve