--- title: "What’s cooking today: Chicken, chouriço and potato bake" description: "We’re still on a bit of a Portuguese bender, so there’s chilli and garlic again in this dish, and lemon, and I included quartered potatoes because in parts of Portugal an oven bake of chicken with potatoes and chouriço is a popular dish." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "WEEKNIGHT SUPPER" author: "Tony Jackman" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/tonyjackman/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-11-01-whats-cooking-today-chicken-chourico-and-potato-bake/" published: "2023-11-01T13:52:58" updated: "2023-11-01T14:36:03" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 689 --- # What’s cooking today: Chicken, chouriço and potato bake > We’re still on a bit of a Portuguese bender, so there’s chilli and garlic again in this dish, and lemon, and I included quartered potatoes because in parts of Portugal an oven bake of chicken with potatoes and chouriço is a popular dish. By Tony Jackman · Published 1 November 2023, 15:52 SAST · Updated 1 November 2023, 16:36 SAST ## Key points - Portuguese-inspired chouriço assado is the latest in a long line of traditional foods being replaced by inferior 'griller' alternatives: don't let the trend go too far, join Tony Jackman for a Cradock Dining Club evening to sample the real thing. - Chouriço assado is a Portuguese tradition of grilling spicy chouriço sausages over naked alcohol flames - The rise of “griller” culture has replaced traditional foods, with even Eskort offering “woodsmoked cheese grillers” - Tony Jackman and Anna Trapido are the Galliova Food Writers 2023 - Tony Jackman will be hosting regular Cradock Dining Club evenings from December 2023 - book your spot with Tony at tony@dailymaverick.co.za ## Content In Portugal, half-moon curls of their spicy chouriço sausages are scored and blackened over naked alcohol flames, in a tradition called chouriço assado (grilled chouriço). I was unable to source the correct sort of chouriço for this recipe, but a product called chorizo grillers (look, it wasn’t my first choice) sufficed. When I do get hold of some proper chouriço, I’ll share how to make chouriço assado with you. Frankly, this “griller” culture has gone too far. When a fad starts replacing traditional foods to the extent that if you ask for chouriço you’re shown packets of “grillers”, alarm bells should toll, for surely the end of the world as we know it is nigh. (Even frankenfurters, bratwurst and bockwurst are now sometimes labelled grillers.) Traders in, and marketers of, food products have a growing list of sins to answer for. Even Eskort, the manufacturer of our beloved pork sausages, now offers “woodsmoked cheese grillers”. It seems that nothing is sacred any more. Why can “cheese grillers” not find their place *alongside*the other lovely sausages we cherish? Why must they *replace*them? Yes, people do buy the griller options if they can’t find the one they’re actually looking for, but this doesn’t mean there is no demand for anything other than ersatz. (*A product made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one – Oxford*). [![Image](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Dessert_Challenge_650x250px-1.png?w=1300)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/best-holiday-desserts-south-africa/) But anyway, this is a weeknight family oven bake, so let’s just go with it. Of course, if you can find the real deal, that’s what to use, whether chouriço or chorizo. *(Serves 4)* #### **Ingredients** 3 or 4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered 8 chicken thighs Olive oil, as needed Chilli oil, as needed (I used Banhoek) 1 red onion, quartered Juice and zest of 1 lemon Smoked paprika, as needed Crushed garlic powder, as needed 16 baby tomatoes, whole or halved 3 or 4 red chillies, deseeded and chopped 6 garlic cloves, sliced 1.5 cups sliced chouriço 1 glass dry white wine Salt and black pepper to taste Oregano for garnish **Method** Steam the potatoes for about 10 minutes to parcook them. Let them cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 200℃ or 220℃ (my gas oven prefers a higher heat). Rinse and dry the chicken thighs. In a small bowl, mix together 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp crushed garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Toss the chicken portions in this. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the chilli oil, heat for half a minute, and brown the chicken thighs on both sides. In the same bowl, mix together 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp crushed garlic powder and some salt and black pepper, 1 Tbsp chilli oil, and add the juice of a lemon and its zest. Toss the cooled, cooked potatoes in this. Oil the bottom of a suitable oven dish (using olive or chilli oil, or both). Place the thighs, interspersed with [potatoes](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-08-10-throwback-thursday-potatoes-dauphinoise-or-potato-bake/), wedges of red onion, slices of chouriço, baby tomatoes, garlic slices and chopped red chillies. Pour in a glass of wine, season with a little more salt and black pepper, and bake for about an hour or until the chicken is cooked to the bone when a skewer is inserted and clear juices show. Pour the liquid off into a small saucepan. Put it on a moderate heat and reduce for two or three minutes. Spoon off any residual fat. Dissolve a teaspoonful of cornflour in a little water and stir it in. Let it simmer for a minute or two, stirring, while the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary. **DM** *D**ine with Tony and friends: Tony Jackman and his Karoo cohorts will**be hosting regular Cradock Dining Club evenings at his Cradock home**f**rom December 2023. If you would like to book for a future event, start**a chat with Tony at**tony@dailymaverick.co.za**and we’ll make a plan.**M**aximum 12 people per dinner.* *Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Writer 2023, jointly with TGIFood**columnist Anna Trapido.* *F**ollow Tony Jackman on Instagram**@tony\_jackman\_cooks**.*