Cheesy Chorizo Hasselback Chicken

This Chorizo Hasselback Chicken is wrapped in cheese and baked in a rich tomato sauce.

Chicken breasts are the backbone of so many easy dinners. They’re so versatile to serve, however, admittedly, they do need dressing up. Chicken breast by nature is fairly bland. BUT, it does take on a variety of different flavours. Today I’m sharing with you a simple, yet outrageously delicious way to spruce up some chicken breasts for dinner! Follow me…

Hasselback Chicken

Hasselback chicken simply refers to a piece of chicken that has crosswise slices an even distance apart. These slots create the perfect opportunity to stuff in some other goodies. Today we’re going for:

• Chorizo – Regular cured Spanish chorizo works great.
• Mozzarella – Preferably fresh and low-moisture.
• Basil – Fresh whole basil leaves.

One of the key things to keep in mind when slicing the chicken is to ensure you don’t slice all the way through. About 3/4 of the way down is fine.

Process shots: lay chicken breast on chopping board (photo 1), make 5 slices (photo 2), season with salt and pepper (photo 3), slot in chorizo, mozzarella and basil (photo 4).

Baked Hasselback Chicken

Alongside the chicken, I actually like to create a simple sauce to go underneath the chicken as it bakes. I do this for a few different reasons:

1. Keeps the chicken moist.
2. Collects all the flavour from the chicken/chorizo and turns into a gorgeously rich/spicy sauce!
3. Prevents a dry dinner by creating a side sauce for the chicken.

You’ll want to simmer the sauce beforehand until it’s nice and thick. I did originally test this by plonking the chicken straight on the uncooked sauce, but it ended up way too watery and essentially boiled the chicken. You only need a thin layer of sauce to rest the chicken on.

You’ll find as the chicken cooks the chorizo will leak out heaps of oil. Once the chicken has cooked, we’re going to remove it and whisk the chorizo fat into the sauce. This is what takes the sauce to the next level!

Process shots: fry garlic (photo 1), add chopped tomatoes and seasoning (photo 2), simmer to thicken (photo 3), add chicken (photo 4), bake (photo 5), add cheese then bake again (photo 6).

Serving Hasselback Chicken

You can really serve this with whatever you fancy. I threw together something to serve when filming and it actually paired really nicely. I’ve added more rough measurements in the recipe card below, but here’s the gist of things:

Hasselback Chicken Side Dish

• Rice
• Pesto
• Rocket/Arugula
• Pine Nuts
• Basil

For more chicken and chorizo recipes check out my Chicken and Chorizo Bake, Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo and Chicken & Chorizo Pasta!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this cheesy chorizo hasselback chicken shall we?!

How to make Cheesy Chorizo Hasselback Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)

Cheesy Chorizo Hasselback Chicken

This Chorizo Hasselback Chicken is wrapped in cheese and baked in a rich tomato sauce.

5 from 3 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 4

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: Western

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 646kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £3 / $3.50

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Equipment:

• 12" Cast Iron Skillet & Wooden Spoon (or regular pan and large baking dish)
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Medium Sized Mixing Bowl & Spatula (for side dish - optional)

Ingredients (check list):

Chicken

• ▢ 4x boneless skinless Chicken Breasts (approx 9oz/250g each)
• ▢ 7oz / 200g Mozzarella (preferably fresh & low moisture. Thoroughly pat dry if stored in brine)
• ▢ 3.5oz / 100g Chorizo
• ▢ 20 Fresh Basil Leaves
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• ▢ Olive Oil, as needed

Sauce

• ▢ 2x 14oz/400g cans of Chopped Tomatoes
• ▢ 4 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Sugar
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Salt, or to taste
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes, optional for more spice
• ▢ 1/8 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
• ▢ Olive Oil, as needed

Side Dish (optional)

• ▢ ~ 1.5 cups Cooked Long Grain Rice
• ▢ ~ 1/3 cup Pesto, or to preference
• ▢ 2 tbsp Pine Nuts
• ▢ handful of Rocket/Arugula
• ▢ sprinkle of Small Basil Leaves

Instructions:

• Add garlic to a drizzle of oil in a large oven-safe pan over medium heat. Fry for a couple of mins, then add chopped tomatoes, oregano, sugar, salt, pepper and chilli flakes (optional). Simmer over low-medium for 20-25mins, or until very thick. Pre-heat oven to 200C/390F
• Meanwhile, divide the mozzarella in two. Slice or grate one half to top the chicken, then slice the other half into 20 thin wedges around the same width as the chicken. Slice the chorizo into 20 thin wedges.
• Make 5 slices into each breast with an even distance apart, slicing around 3/4 of the way down. Season all over with salt and pepper. Wedge a basil leaf into each gap, then add the chorizo and mozzarella.
• Once the sauce is thick (should just about cover the base of the pan) add the chicken on top. Drizzle with oil then place in the oven for 15mins. Remove, top with cheese and continue baking for another 10mins, or until the cheese starts to bubble and the chicken is piping hot and white through the centre. If making the side dish combine everything in a bowl at this point.
• Remove chicken and rest to one side, then quickly stir the sauce to emulsify the chorizo fat with the tomato sauce (can rapidly simmer to thicken more if needed).
• Serve chicken on top of sauce then tuck in and enjoy.

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Sauce Consistency - You want the sauce nice and thick, almost the work as just a buffer between the pan and chicken, not to drown the chicken. The reason being the chorizo will leak out a lot of oil, and the chicken will release moisture too. We want to bake the chicken, and all the moisture could end up boiling it if you're sauce is super thin/watery!

b) Cheese - I like mozzarella for its subtle creamy flavour, which counteracts the spicy, salty chorizo & sauce. I'd try it as is the first time around, then you could experiment with other cheeses (taleggio and brie work well because they're both creamy).

c) Baking Dish - If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, just make the sauce in a regular pan then spread it in a large baking dish and top with chicken.

d) Calories - Based on the recipe without a side dish assuming 1.5 tbsp olive oil is used.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Cheesy Chorizo Hasselback Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 646 Calories from Fat 295

% Daily Value*

Fat 32.75g50%

Saturated Fat 12.278g61%

Trans Fat 0.02g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.054g

Monounsaturated Fat 13.335g

Cholesterol 244mg81%

Sodium 1395mg58%

Potassium 1376mg39%

Carbohydrates 10.05g3%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 5.91g7%

Protein 75.11g150%

Vitamin A 1343IU27%

Vitamin C 26.4mg32%

Calcium 344mg34%

Iron 2.91mg16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

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