Chicken and Chorizo Lasagne

• servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

4–5 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless

100g chorizo, cubed

1 large onion, very finely diced

2 celery sticks, very finely diced

1 tbsp chopped thyme (leaves picked from the stems)

3 garlic cloves, crushed

150ml white wine

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

fresh lasagne pasta (about 9 sheets)

70g Cheddar cheese, grated

sea salt

black pepper

For the white sauce:

50g unsalted butter

50g plain flour

500ml milk

Directions

Put the chicken thighs in a food processor and pulse until they are broken down. Don’t over process though, as it’s nice to have a few slightly larger pieces in the mixture. Add a dash of oil to a non-stick frying pan, tip in the chicken mince and brown over a medium to high heat. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Using the same pan with a little more oil if you need it, cook the chorizo, onion, celery, thyme and garlic for 5 minutes until softened. Add the wine and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Put the chicken back in the pan and add the paprika and tomatoes, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Season with the sugar and salt and pepper.

To make the white sauce, melt the butter over a medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the milk and continue whisking until it comes to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then season.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Grease an ovenproof dish measuring about 33 x 23cm. Spread a thin layer of chicken sauce in the bottom of the dish, then add a sheet of lasagne, then more chicken sauce. Add another sheet of pasta, followed by white sauce, then the chicken sauce. Continue until everything is used up, finishing with a layer of white sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.