I love a competition and I was the lucky winner of this book from a competition which was run by fellow blogger Nicole at Miss Fridays Feast. So many of my friends have told me how great the Hairy Dieters book is and I had my doubts as the TV show was verging on cheesy. But, given that I probably eat a little too much, this book is just what we needed. Flavour and decent portion sizes but with fewer calories!
I’ve made a few things from it now and this one is by far my favourite – scored on the page 9/10 – a high score indeed! With 370 calories per serving, it’s really filling and absolutely delish! Next on the agenda is the Lamb Tagine, it comes with high praise from friends.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 500g new potatoes quartered lengthways
- 8 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 8 medium tomatoes, quartered
- 75g chorizo
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½tsp sweet smoked paprika
- ½tsp dried oregano
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
- Flaked sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Put the onions, potatoes, garlic and tomatoes in a large roasting tin and season with sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Toss everything together lightly and roast for 20 minutes.
- While the vegetables are roasting, skin the chorizo and cut the meat into thin slices – 5mm is about right. Put the chicken thighs on a board and carefully slash each one 2 or 3 times with a knife. Season all over with black pepper. Mix the paprika and oregano together and set aside.
- Take the roasting tin out of the oven, scatter the chorizo over the veg and turn everything a couple of times. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and chorizo and sprinkle with the paprika and oregano. Season with a little salt and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
- Take the tin out of the oven. Holding one corner carefully with an oven cloth, lift the tin a little so all the juices run to the opposite end, then spoon and drizzle the juices back over the chicken. Tuck the pepper strips loosely around the chicken and vegetables.
- Turn the oven up to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Put the tin back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until the peppers are just softened and the chicken is golden and crisp. As you eat, squeeze the garlic out of the skins – delicious!
I agree this meal is pretty tasty. I have cooked quite a few of the recipes from this book as well. The household fave is the beachside paella. You really cannot tell that you are getting less calories! 🙂 The "Southern style Jambalaya" is not a bad version of the real recipe and the 'gorgeous fish stew' is good to. Plus they use more or less the same ingredients so always good.
Glad to see you're putting the book to good use. There are some great recipes in there. Have you tried the jalfrezi yet? Its delicious. X
I love this recipe too, I've made it a few times.
It seems I'm not the only one loving the Hairy Dieters! Thanks for your comments guys, I'll definitely be trying your suggestions!
I love tray bakes for saving on the washing up and this one looks so healthy and tasty too. I'll have to have a look at some of the Hairy Dieters recipes.