Chicken and chorizo stew with chickpeas, peppers and tomatoes, a spicy Spanish stew easy to make and always delicious!

CHICKEN AND CHORIZO STEW

I am really into stews of any kind. As a born and raised Romanian, I can almost say I grew up on stews, any kind of stew, from the humble Romanian potato stew to vegetable stews, richer pork stews or Romanian style (or Hungarian style) chicken stews, like paprikash.

Today’s chicken and chorizo stew is not Romanian at all, but soooo delicious! Nothing Romanian about chorizo or chickpeas, I would say this stew is more of a Spanish chicken stew.

So good, you will end up making it again and again, at least I did cook this several times in a very short period of time.

And why not? The chicken and chorizo stew is rich without being calorie laden, it is spicy and aromatic, the chicken is soft and comforting and the chickpeas make everything complete. No words about the chorizo, this amazing sausage makes everything better, even when used in such small quantity.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SPANISH STEW

Chicken:

Not long ago I was complaining about how difficult it is to buy boneless chicken thighs around here. Well, not 2 weeks later I was able to get some at the local supermarket and enjoyed them so much, I ended up buying another 4 packages and freezing them.

They are so easy to work with! I have nothing against chicken thighs with their bones in, but when the bone is out, you can cook a dish faster and you can actually cut the thighs into smaller chunks.

And thighs are always my favorite! I like chicken breast as well, but let’s face it, thighs just taste better and when using thighs the risk of eating overcooked, dry chicken decreases considerably.

As removing the bones from the thighs myself is a pain (I did it a few times and was completely annoyed with it), I am thrilled to be able to buy the boned chicken thighs now!

However, if you cannot get hold of boneless chicken thighs, you can use chicken thighs and drumsticks with the bone in. Just remember, that they will probably need to cook a little longer, so make sure to check that the thighs are cooked through.

Chorizo:

You can use either Spanish or Mexican chorizo to make the chicken and chorizo stew.

There is a difference between Spanish and Mexican chorizo, in case you want to know that. They are definitely not the same thing and it is usually recommended not to use the two sorts of chorizo interchangeable. Still this particular chicken and chorizo stew is delicious no matter which kind of chorizo you use.

Spanish chorizo is dried, cured, and ready-to-eat. You can find it in sticks and it is usually sold in the same sections as other cured sausages. It has a vibrant red color, due to the high content of paprika and it is made of pork and pork fat.

It comes in sweet and spicy, I usually buy the spicy one, but you can use whatever you like best.

The Mexican chorizo is a ground meat sausage, sold fresh and uncooked. You can find it in the raw meat/sausages section of the supermarket. It is usually made of pork and very spicy.

If you buy the chorizo in Germany, you will find the dried (Spanish) one most everywhere.

There is another sort of chorizo to be found here (sometimes, mostly in summer during the grill season), which is raw and which is meant to be grilled before eating. That is the chorizo you can see in the ingredient list above.

It is not called Mexican, but I assume that this particular raw chorizo is the closest to the Mexican chorizo you can find in Germany, at least in our (very rural) region. You could use that kind of chorizo to make these delicious Mexican tostadas or the choripan. Soooo gooood!

If you make this Spanish stew using Spanish chorizo, the chorizo slices will be firmer. If you use Mexican chorizo, the chorizo slices will be softer. Either way, the chicken and chorizo stew will taste good.

Chicken stock:

I use homemade chicken stock because I always have it in the fridge or freezer. But a good quality chicken stock brand will be great as well.

Chickpeas:

I used chickpeas from a can, but you can use the same amount of home cooked chickpeas, if you have them.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AND CHORIZO STEW

• Chop the onions finely and slice the Spanish chorizo. Set them aside.
• Grate the garlic and gather all the spices together.
• Drain the chickpeas and quarter the chicken thighs. Chop the bell peppers and the tomatoes into cubes. You can keep these four ingredients into one bowl until needed.
• Heat a Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot. You will not need to add any oil as the chorizo will release plenty of fat, enough fat for you to be able to cook the onions. Give the chorizo and onions to the pot and cook on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until the onions are softer.
• Add the garlic and all the spices and stir well for about 1 minute.
• Add the chicken, chickpeas, bell peppers, tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir well, cover the pot leaving a crack open, turn the heat down and simmer the chicken and chorizo stew for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
• You can thicken the sauce at this point, if desired. You can leave the chicken and chorizo stew as it is, the sauce is delicious either thinner or thicker.
• But if you like a thicker sauce, mix together the cornstarch and the cold water until you obtain a thick yet pourable paste. Slowly, whisk this paste into the simmering chicken and chorizo stew and let it bubble for a couple of times until the sauce is thickened.
• Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and more chili, if desired.

HOW TO SERVE THE CHICKEN AND CHORIZO STEW

Sprinkle the stew with some fresh herbs like parsley or coriander just before serving.

You can serve the chicken and chorizo stew immediately, but you can also very easily reheat it.

You will definitely need something to mop up that delicious sauce, either rice or bread, both are a good match.

Serve the chicken stew with a salad or steamed/roasted vegetables on the side.

Chicken and Chorizo Stew – Spanish Stew

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Chicken and chorizo stew with chickpeas, peppers and tomatoes, a spicy Spanish stew easy to make and always delicious!

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Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, about 170 g/ 6 oz
• 100 g/ 3.5 g chorizo (See note 1)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika powder
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon red chili flakes, more or less to taste
• 1 can chickpeas
• 600 g/ 1.3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (See note 2)
• 2 red bell peppers
• 3 tomatoes, about 300 g/ 10.5 oz
• 350 ml/ 12 fl.oz/ 1 ½ cups chicken stock
• 2-3 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3-4 teaspoons cold water
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• fresh parsley or coriander, optional

Instructions

1. Chop the onions finely. Slice the chorizo. Set them aside.
2. Prepare the rest of the ingredients. Chop the garlic and give it together with the spices – bay leaves, thyme, oregano, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander and red chili flakes - to a small bowl.
3. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, quarter the chicken thighs, chop the bell peppers and tomatoes into small cubes. Keep them separated from the spices, the onions and chorizo.
4. Heat a Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot without adding any oil, the chorizo will release enough fat to cook the onions. Give the onions and the chorizo to the pot and saute on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until the onions are soft.
5. Give the garlic and the spices to the pot and stir well for about 1 minutes. Add the chickpeas, chicken, bell peppers, tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir well, cover leaving a crack open, turn the heat down and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
6. If you wish the sauce to be thicker, give the cornstarch to a small bowl and add the cold water. Whisk to obtain a thick yet pourable paste. Slowly whisk this paste into the chicken stew and let bubble a few times, the stew should thicken slightly. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
7. Sprinkle with herbs and serve as suggested above.

Notes

1. Either dried, cured Spanish chorizo or raw Mexican chorizo.
2. You can use bone-in chicken thighs (and/or drumsticks) instead. Increase the cooking time accordingly and make sure that the chicken is cooked through before serving it.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1/4 of the dish
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 551 Total Fat: 25g Saturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 16g Cholesterol: 208mg Sodium: 1395mg Carbohydrates: 34g Fiber: 7g Sugar: 11g Protein: 52g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.