Spanish Chicken with Raisins and Pine Nuts

This is a full-flavoured Spanish dish that I’ve altered to make healthier than the original.

The most important thing is to cook the fat out of the chicken and not add it to the dish. Therefore, I roast the skinless, boneless chicken thighs separately first and discard any fat that comes out of them. Cooking with sherry rather than wine makes this dish authentically Spanish – yum!

Serves 4

Ingredients

10 skinless, boneless chicken thighs from your local butcher2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil2 onions, chopped3 garlic cloves, chopped125ml glass dry sherry (Sherry is gluten-free)200ml gluten-free chicken stock1 tbsp dried thyme50g raisins2 tbsp pine nutsHandful chopped flat-leaf parsley , to serve

If you want to stretch this meal to feed more people, sprinkle on some dried mixed lentils and extra chicken stock to bulk it out.

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 200˚C

• Place the chicken thighs in a shallow non-stick baking tray and roast for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and all the fat has been released. The thighs should have caught a nice colour on the edges and you should be able to drain away the fat and blot the thighs on some kitchen towel to remove any remaining fat.

• Now using a large, non-stick pan, over a medium heat, cook the onions in the olive oil for 3-4 mins, then add the garlic and cook for 3-4 mins more

• Add the Sherry, then simmer for 3-5 mins until lovely and syrupy. At this point, if you want to bulk the meal out, you can add the lentils and extra chicken stock.

• Next put the roast chicken thighs into the pan, tip in the stock, thyme, toasted pine nuts and raisins, cover, then gently cook on a low heat for 20-30 minutes until the sauce had reduced and the chicken is lovely and tender and breaking up

*Scatter with the chopped parsley and serve with rice or Patatas Bravas!