Crockpot Chicken fiesta: a summery chicken, pepper and olive casserole

If, like me, you relegate the slow cooker to the back of the cupboard as soon as daffodils start sprouting, this light and summery stew will have you digging it back out again. The convenience of slow cooking is obviously just as valuable in spring as it is in winter, and one can't be expected to survive on salads from April to September...

Adapted from Crockery Pot Cooking (1978) with some suggestions from a recent Good Food magazine recipe, this colourful chicken and pepper casserole is fresh and spicy, with at least three portions of your five-a-day (and I'm not even counting the wine). The final taste (and spice) will depend a lot on the chorizo you use as there are no other added herbs or flavours, so choose carefully. Also, be wary of adding extra salt: the olives and stock will be quite salty already, so I didn't add any salt until the cooking had finished.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

100g chorizo, sliced

4 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed

1/2 onion, chopped

2 peppers, chopped into chunks

1 handful stuffed olives (I used ones in brine)

1 glass dry white wine

200ml chicken stock (from a good quality cube or fresh/homemade)

1 tbsp tomato purée

Method

If your slow cooker has a removable crock that you can use on the hob, start the dish off in that as described below. If not, use a frying pan to brown the chorizo, chicken and onion on the hob, then add them to the slow cooker along with any juices from the pan.

1. Heat the crock on the hob and dry fry the chorizo until it's starting to crisp; it will release plenty of spicy oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Fry the chicken in the chorizo oil until starting to brown, then add the onion and cook for 2 or 3 minutes more.

3. Put the crock into the slow cooker and add back the chorizo and all the remaining ingredients, making sure the liquid just covers the contents. Cook on low for 6 hours.

The end result is a light and vibrant stew; the chicken falls off the bone into the spicy broth, and is delicious mopped up with rice or crusty bread.