---
title: "Kill the Chill: Chicken, brinjal and red pepper casserole with green olives"
description: "It’s 2°C in the Karoo Heartland as I write this, the kind of day when thoughts turn to stews and hearty bakes. Into the oven, on a similarly chilly day last week, went this casserole."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "WHAT’S COOKING"
author: "Tony Jackman"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/tony/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-07-31-kill-the-chill-chicken-brinjal-and-red-pepper-casserole-with-green-olives/"
published: "2024-07-31T13:30:26"
updated: "2024-07-30T22:24:07"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 566
---

# Kill the Chill: Chicken, brinjal and red pepper casserole with green olives

> It’s 2°C in the Karoo Heartland as I write this, the kind of day when thoughts turn to stews and hearty bakes. Into the oven, on a similarly chilly day last week, went this casserole.

By Tony Jackman · Published 31 July 2024, 15:30 SAST · Updated 31 July 2024, 00:24 SAST

## Content

What makes this oven dish even hotter, if only psychologically, is that it is brightly coloured with hues that look so warm and comforting that they alone give you a lift. Add chilli and spices, and of course the heat of the oven, and it’s a proper winter warmer.

I think of dishes such as this as “Spanish”, although I don’t generally call them that (or Italian, or Moroccan) if the recipe is not a traditional recipe from that country. But it is sort of Spanish in style, what with the peppers, chilli, garlic and tomatoes, and not least the green olives.

**Enjoy Tony Jackman’s writing and way with food?**[**Sign up to Tony’s weekly newsletter here**](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/tgifood-newsletter-signup/)**. It’s free, and in your inbox every Friday afternoon. If it goes to promotions or spam at first, please drag it into your inbox.**

Note that I used the brine from the green olives as well. This is an ingredient that is often overlooked and thrown out. But take into account that brines tend to be a tad salty, so be careful how much salt you add to the dish; taste first, and stop adding salt when you’re happy that it’s right.

The chicken portions are browned first, before you remove them and cook the onions.

**Tony’s chicken, brinjal and red pepper casserole with green olives**

*(Serves 4)*

**Ingredients**

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 chicken breast fillets, each sliced into two or three pieces (across, not lengthwise)

1 medium red onion, chopped

3 fat garlic cloves, crushed and chopped

1brinjal sliced in batons (long strips)

1 red pepper, cut in julienne strips

250 g pitted green manzanilla olives *and* their brine

Fresh oregano sprigs

Red chilli flakes (choose the quantity according to your taste and desire)

½ a glass of white wine

250 ml chicken stock

1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes

Salt

Black pepper

Cornflour dissolved in a little water

**Method**

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Heat oil in a heavy oven-proof casserole and brown the chicken breast fillet portions on all sides. Remove to a side dish.

Cook away any chicken juice, add more olive oil, and fry off the onions until soft, adding the garlic after a minute or two. Add the brinjals and red pepper strips and fry, stirring, for three minutes or so, on a moderate heat.

Now add the olives and their brine, oregano, chilli flakes, stir, and throw in the white wine. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, then add the chicken stock and chopped tomatoes.

Bring to a simmer, season to taste with salt and black pepper, put the lid on and pop it into the preheated oven.

Bake at 200°C for about an hour to 90 minutes.

Pour off the stock and reduce in a saucepan, I photographed it before pouring off the stock and reducing.

Put a heavy saucepan on a moderate heat and pour off the excess stock from the casserole into it.

Thicken with a tsp or two of cornflour dissolved in a little water, stirring while it thickens.

Pour the thickened sauce over portions of chicken and vegetables, or nap alongside on the plate. **DM**

*Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Writer 2023, jointly with TGIFood columnist Anna Trapido. Order his book, foodSTUFF,*[*here*](mailto:tony@dailymaverick.co.za)

*Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram*[*@tony\_jackman\_cooks*](https://www.instagram.com/tony_jackman_cooks/)*.*

*This dish is photographed in a bowl by*[*Mervyn Gers Ceramics*](https://www.mervyngers.com/)*.*