Spicy chicken casserole with quinoa

One of my favourite things to do when I have a bit of time is to make a casserole. There is something comforting about doing very little and letting a pot blip away on your stovetop or in the oven for a couple of hours while letting the house fill with delicious smells. Flavours seem to meld together in a much tastier and smooth way than a speedy cook; meat also becomes tender and succulent. In this case I've used chicken thighs but beef or lamb stewing meat would work equally well. You could also cook the chicken bone in - just remember to warn your guests/housemates/family!

Spicy chicken casserole with quinoa

Ingredients:

6 free range chicken thighs, de-boned
2 large white onions
3 courgettes
1 aubergine
1 red pepper
Pack of chestnut mushrooms
Garlic, 3-5 cloves depending on size
Tin of chickpeas, drained
Tin of tomatoes
Bomba tomato paste (or normal if you prefer)
Dried oregano
Dried basil
Ground coriander
Hot smoked paprika
Chilli flakes
Chicken stock (preferably homemade but use an organic stock cube if not)
Salt and pepper
Coconut oil
Quinoa, around 50g per person
Pesto, homemade or jarred

Method:

Put your quinoa on to soak, you can rinse before cooking instead but as we've got hours in makes sense to just soak in cold water.
Brown the chicken thighs in coconut oil then set aside.
While browning slice the onions and garlic.
Once you've set the chicken aside, use the same pan to fry the onions and garlic until they have become soft. I add a pinch of salt here to help the onions soften. They will need 5-10 mins to soften thoroughly, you want them to almost melt away in the cook.
Again while doing this chop your courgettes, aubergine, red pepper and mushrooms. I did large chunks for this as it is a long slow cook so leave any small mushrooms whole and only half the larger ones. You'll see from the pictures above the vegetables soften and shrink down.
Add the vegetables and let them start to fry, you can also add your herbs and spices here, I just shake them in then adjust to taste but if you prefer measurements I would do about a heaped tablespoon of each herb and a heaped teaspoon of each spice.
After the vegetables and spices have fried together for a few more minutes add the chickpeas, tinned tomatoes (rinse the tin out with water and add to the pan) and Bomba/tomato paste.
Stir everything together, transfer your chicken back into the pan and top up with chicken stock - you want the stock to cover everything generously as this is going to cook for a good few hours.
Turn the heat right down and leave for 2-3 hours to bubble away, stirring every so often if you are cooking on a stovetop to stop things sticking.
Once the liquid has reduced and everything is looking/tasting good then cook your quinoa according to packet instructions (it varies but around 15 minutes in boiling salted water).
Have a final taste of your casserole and season with salt and pepper.
Serve up with quinoa and top with a drizzle of pesto (or a few dollops if you're me!) - I almost always use jarred pesto because I'm lazy but by all means make your own, it will add another level of freshness to the dish.