CHEEKY VEGGIE CHORIZO AND CHICKEN CASSEROLE

That's right, you read that correctly. This is a veggie chicken and chorizo dish. How is that possible? Well I'm using Quorn products of course. Their chorizo sausages are a delight and perfect as part of this vegetable packed winter casserole that I whipped up yesterday adapting a classic Mary Berry recipe.  It has hints of cayenne and paprika from the chorizo, thyme for that herby note as well as a good glug of Madeira wine just to ramp up those Christmas vibes and quite frankly a little booze in anything at Christmas time is kind of the law really isn't it! 

Veggie Chorizo and Chicken Casserole

4 Quorn Chicken Fillets

2 Large Grated Garlic Cloves

2 Tbsp Madeira Wine

4 Chopped Quorn Chorizo Sausages

1 Diced Large Red Onion

2 Diced Roasted Red Peppers

Handful Chopped Chestnut Mushrooms

Handful Frozen Broad Beans

1 Heaped Tbsp Butter

50g Plain Flour

400g Tin Of Chopped Tomatoes

300ml Vegetable Stock

1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp Tomato Puree

5 Sprigs Of Thyme

Salt And Pepper To Season

1. Begin by placing the Quorn fillets in a freezer bag along with the garlic and Madeira. Seal the back and give everything a good jiggle about so the boozy garlic marinade covers all the fillets and then place in the fridge for at least one hour to marinate.
2. At this point pop on your slow cooker to high with two tbsp of water inside the bowl to warm up whilst you prepare the casserole.
3. Now, place a lightly oiled large pan on a medium heat on your hob and throw in the chorizo and onion. Fry until theonion begins to soften and then add in the peppers, mushrooms and broad beans until the mushrooms also begin to soften.
4. Add in the better and stir until it melts. Add in the flour, tomatoes and stock and mix everything together until the flour has been fully incorporated and there are no lumps remaining.
5. Add in the cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce and tomato puree, season with salt and pepper and give everything another good mix until the puree has been fully incorporated and then bring everything to the boil. 
6. At this point add the thyme leaves to the slow cooker and then pour in all the contents of the pan into the slow cooker, cover and leave for a least one hour to allow the sauce to thicken and the flavors to get more intense.
7. When you think your getting ready to eat, remove the marinated Quorn fillets and pop them into the slow cooker so that they are completely covered, pop the lid back on and leave for another 30 minutes.

Your delicious casserole should now be smelling incredible and is ready to serve. We had ours along with some wild rice as that earthy mushroom flavor of wild rice really compliments the mushrooms and thyme flavors in the casserole. You will also get hints of the Mediterranean as the paprika spices of the chorizo have all oozed into the broth whilst the cayenne gives that kick of spice that will keep you nice and toasty warm on these chilly winter evenings. Finally, right in the background you'll get that touch of Christmas when the hints of the Madeira wine push through to tie everything together like a neatly wrapped present under the tree!