Baked Chicken Melt

Easy baked chicken and pepper melt recipe with chorizo or bacon is, in a word, delicious.

It's a great way to use up any leftover cheese and other bit's and bob's when you have your weekly fridge clearout.

What? You don't have a weekly fridge cleanout? Then you really should, it needs to happen anyway, for hygiene reasons!

Plus it saves money by using up food that might otherwise go to waste, which can only be a good thing.

Okay, my photo might look a bit messy, but whatever it tasted good and that's all that really matters.

Chicken fillets topped with chorizo, peppers, onions, red chilli and loads of cheese, I used mozzarella because I had some that needed to be used up.

But you can do a mixture of cheddar, or any other cheese that melts. Cooked in the oven till the chicken is done and the cheese melts nicely.

Anyway, my fridge clear out recipe was a success and it turned out rather nice indeedy!

Chances are if you're reading this you will also like Oven Baked Chicken with Cheese Pineapple and Bacon; hang on, did someone say bacon AND cheese?

Okay, I'm off. 😋

Prepare the Chicken:
How to keep chicken moist. You will need to flatten the chicken fillets so that they cook quicker, or you'll find they might well be tough by the time they've cooked through.

How to remove the tendon from chicken fillets. Just turn the fillet over, so the nicer looking side is facing down.

Carefully remove the white tendon by placing a knife on it and, without moving the knife, pull it, and you'll find it will come out.

I know, horrid ah? But best to remove it since like no one, will want to eat it!

Then lightly score the fillet on the thickest part only, taking care not to actually cut through.

Place it between two sheets of cling film.

Take something bashable and bash it until it's evenly flattened. Be careful not to go too mad though or the fillet will tear.

Season the chicken and pop it into a non-stick baking dish.

Top with the rest of your ingredients.

Anything like chorizo, onions, peppers or chillies will need to be pan-fried first otherwise they will not cook in time with the chicken when baking in the oven.

Cover with kitchen foil and cook for about 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes or so, or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has melted.

It really is that simple. Serve immediately with whatever else you fancy.

Top Tips!

Prepare this earlier in the day, but do NOT add and hot ingredients to the chicken, they must be cold. Cover with cling film, pop in the fridge and it'll be ready to bake later on.

Be sure to bash your chicken fillets as mentioned in the recipe so they are flatter otherwise, they'll take much longer to cook.

There's no real amount of ingredients for this since you just make it up as you go along with whatever you have left in your fridge.

Always cover with foil and remove in the last 5 or 10 minutes so the cheese can become lightly golden.

Suggestions for other ingredients.
Sliced tomatoes - raw.
Sundried tomatoes - sliced and drained from their oil.
Sliced mushrooms - pan-fried.
Any grated cheese that melts, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, etc.
Bacon - pan-fried and instead of chorizo.
You could use packet fajita or taco seasoning (mixed with a little oil) to coat the chicken - instead of salt and pepper.
Jalapeño peppers drained from their jar.
Red pesto - taste it for saltiness first before you add any to the chicken.

Anyway, on with the recipe!

fridge,clearout,recipe,chicken,peppers,cheese,melt

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English

Yield: 2

Author: Jan Bennett

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Chicken Chorizo and Pepper Melt

There's no real recipe for the amount of ingredients.
Just make it up as you go along with whatever you have left in your fridge.

**You can prepare this earlier in the day, but ONLY if you allow the cooked ingredients to completely cool before topping the chicken.

Store in the fridge covered in cling film, but remove about 40 minutes before cooking to come to room temperature.

Ingredients:

• chorizo sausage - sliced - about 5 inches or whatever you've got
• 2 skinless chicken breast fillets
• 1 green bell pepper - sliced
• 1 red onion - sliced
• 1 red chilli pepper - deseeded and sliced
• a good handful of grated cheese
• a pinch of paprika
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200c/400f or Gas 6
2. Start by preparing the chicken.
3. Put the chicken fillets between two sheets of cling film and bash with something bashable till they are thinner.
4. Be careful, don't go too mad with the bashing, or the chicken will tear.
5. Oil a shallow dish and season the fillets with a little salt and pepper.
6. Put the fillets side by side into the dish.
7. Now, heat up a frying pan and throw in the chorizo. Cook until it starts to crisp very slightly and you have it's lovely orange colour oil in your pan.
8. Remove the chorizo and set aside.
9. In the same pan without washing it, add in the sliced onion and cook for a minute or so before throwing in the pepper and chilli.
10. Keep stirring, you don't need it to colour too much, just get it so it's cooked and the onions and peppers are soft.
11. Top with the onions, peppers and chilli.
12. Now put on the cooked chorizo and finish with a generous handful of grated cheese and sprinkle over a pinch of paprika.
13. Cover with kitchen foil and cook for about 25 minutes.
14. Remove the foil, and cook for a further 10 minutes or so - until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has melted.
15. Serve immediately with whatever else you fancy - some big fat crispy chips perhaps?

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