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

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.

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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

1 brinjal 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

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This dish is photographed in a bowl by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.