One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Peppers, Peas and Olives

Marinate the chicken. Toss the chicken in a large bowl with the garlic, lime juice, oregano, 3/4 tsp salt and the pepper. Leave it for 15-30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours. The lime juice and garlic season the meat right through and begin to soften the surface before it hits the hot pan.

Brown the chicken. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Heat the oil in the casserole over medium-high heat and brown the chicken in batches for 3 minutes per side - it doesn't need to cook through yet, since it finishes in the oven later. Lift the browned pieces onto a plate. The browning builds a deep, savoury crust through the Maillard reaction, which carries flavour into the rice beneath it later on.

Soften the sofrito. Turn the heat down to medium, add the onion, green pepper and half the red pepper strips to the casserole, and cook for 6-8 minutes until soft. This gently cooked vegetable base is what gives the finished rice its depth of flavour.

Stir in the aromatics. Add the garlic, coriander stems, paprika, turmeric and cumin, and stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the passata and cook for 3 minutes until it darkens slightly. The turmeric and paprika bloom in the hot fat here, giving the rice its warm golden-red colour without needing anything more unusual than a couple of everyday spices.

Add the rice and liquid. Stir the rinsed rice into the casserole so it's coated in the tomatoey base, then pour in the stock and water, add the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and the bay leaves, and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom. Bring the whole pot to the boil. Rinsing the rice beforehand washes off surface starch, which is what keeps the cooked grains separate rather than clumped together.

Nestle in the chicken and bake. Nestle the chicken and its resting juices into the rice and scatter the remaining red pepper strips over the top. Cover tightly and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the rice is tender, the liquid has been absorbed and the thickest piece of chicken reaches 74°C. Keep the lid on and don't stir the rice once it's in the oven, since disturbing it breaks the grains and releases starch that turns the texture gluey rather than fluffy; if it looks dry after 20 minutes, add 60ml of hot water.

Rest, then shred the chicken. Take the casserole out of the oven and let it stand, still covered, for 10 minutes so the rice finishes steaming in the residual heat. Lift out the chicken and shred it into large pieces using two forks.

Fold through the olives and peas. Return the shredded chicken to the rice along with the olives and peas, folding everything together gently so the grains don't get crushed. Cover again for 5 minutes, just long enough for the peas to heat through.

Finish and serve. Remove the bay leaves, scatter the coriander leaves over the top, and serve with lime wedges. Adding the fresh lime and coriander right at the end lifts the whole dish after the long, gentle cooking.