Spanish Chicken Stew with Chorizo

Spanish Chicken Stew with Chorizo is an excellent addition to your dinner collection!  Complex flavors in every serving and everyone will be asking for seconds, so make sure you cook some extra!

Are you making a Spanish stew for the first time?  Then make sure you try Spanish beef stew as well!  Oh, and chickpeas and spinach for the vegetarian option. 🙂

You will rarely find this chicken stew in a Spanish restaurant.

But trust me; locals love preparing them at home — especially in the southern part of the country.

Every bite of Spanish chicken stew with chorizo is an explosion of flavors for your taste buds.

With deep flavors of smokiness from the pimenton and a hint of sweetness and spice — absolutely delicious! 

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Ingredients

• Chicken – as you can see in the image above, I did not use a specific chicken cut; I used (almost) all parts of the chicken and kept the bones as well.

• Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil, if possible.

• Garlic – minced or thinly sliced.

• Onion – thinly sliced.

• Bell pepper – red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped.

• Spanish chorizo – look for semi-dried Spanish chorizo.

• Olives – rinsed, drained, and chopped green olives.

• Crushed tomatoes – canned crushed tomatoes are excellent for this Spanish chicken stew recipe.

• Tomato paste – use your favorite brand.

• Stock – chicken stock is generally used.

• Sherry – like rabo de toro, dry sherry wine like Palo Cortado is perfect for making this chicken stew recipe from Spain.

• Herbs and spices – thyme, bay leaves, sweet smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and ground black pepper.

Preparation

Start making Spanish chicken stew by generously seasoning your chicken cuts with salt and ground black pepper.

Heat olive oil in a deep pan with a lid or a Dutch oven.

Once ready, place the seasoned chicken to start browning — leave some space between each piece.

Brown, the chicken on all sides, then set aside.

Using the same pan and oil, add the chopped onion and garlic.

Cook until the onion softens.

Add the tomato paste, cumin, and smoked paprika.

Mix and let cook for about two to three minutes — lower the heat to avoid burning the spices.

Add the chopped Spanish chorizo.

Mix to coat the chorizo slices with the spices, letting some of the sausage’s oil and flavor out in the pan.

Place the browned chicken back in the pan.

Pour the sherry.

Let the sherry evaporate, mixing and coating the chicken in the process.

Add the stock, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme.

Cover with a lid, bring to a quick boil, and add the chopped bell pepper.

Adjust the heat to medium-low and simmer for at least thirty minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

Add the olives.

Taste and adjust the seasoning as preferred.

Place the lid back, remove the pan from the heat, and let it sit for a few minutes.

Transfer your Spanish chicken stew with chorizo into plates and serve!

Helpful tips

• Browning the chicken in batches is a good practice to avoid over-crowding the pan.

• Depending on the amount of oil left after cooking the chicken, remove some if you think there’s too much.

• Remember to cook the paste and spices for a few minutes; do not rush this step.

• If you prefer more liquid for your Spanish chicken stew, do not hesitate to add more stock, then adjust the seasoning accordingly.

Recipe variation

• Chicken cuts.  Some locals prefer to use only chicken thighs.

• Stock.  Beef stock will also work for this chicken stew recipe from Spain.

• Passata.  You can replace the crushed tomatoes with passata; make sure to taste and season.

• Olives.  You can keep them whole; just make sure they’re pitted.

• Oven.  If you prefer to finish cooking your chicken stew in the oven, it’s absolutely fine — remember to use the right cookware, like a Dutch oven.

So how about it?  Give this chicken stew with Spanish chorizo a try one of these evenings, and let me know!

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