Chicken with Chorizo

Chicken with Chorizo

I cooked this recipe that was in a newspaper I was reading, I thought it sounded like me, so I cut it out. A few weeks later the dish was prepared for an evening meal. This is an easy dish to prepare. I would use more chorizo when I make this again. The issues with the whanau were not enough chorizo, they liked the dish and appreciated the satisfying meal at the end of the day.

I used Mexican Chorizo from Heritage Quality Meats. I purchased these at Moore Wilsons. Heritage Meats are based in Palmerston North. This butcher makes quality sausages. However trying to find any presence of this company via the net, or having a phone listing, has proved to a task beyond me.

 

 

I particularly liked the Romanian sausage that Heritage Meats makes. However when I asked at Moore Wilsons why they did not stock this anymore, the response I got was not enough sales. I have not seen these for a number of years, however if you spot one I would highly recommend that you sample this fantastic sausage.

Anyway back to Mexican Chorizo. The packaging says free range pork is used, the sausages are dairy free, preservative free and use no binders or fillers. Only prime cuts of NZ meat are used. When the sausage is taken out of the packet you can see the chunks of meat that used. It smelt good. This is chunky sausage lumps of pork meat and fat can be seen in the sausage. The packaging states that sausage is 76% pork. Also used are salt, tequila, vinegar, spices, garlic and herbs.

I cooked the sausage prior to be added to the dish. They cooked up nicely. As per usual I had to operate as quality control. The sausage has a moderate chorizo flavour. The paprika and chilli are evident on the palate as you place it in your mouth. This flavour then grows as the full flavour exudes from the sausage. It is hot without being overpowering. The meatiness of the sausage also adds to the experience. This is a quality sausage. The family also wished to part of the quality control and another one of the snarlers was cut into morsels so they could sample a piece.

 

 

The dish involved gently frying onion, carrot and celery with a couple of bay leaves and garlic. A modicum (this is a chef’s measure) of white wine was added, the heat was turned up, once it boiled, chicken stock was added. The chicken thighs were added along with the chorizo, into the oven and wait. The dish was served with rice.

I consider that I still have some way to go before I become a professional food photographer.

 

 

The whanau liked the dish, my son said there were key flaws in it, not enough chorizo, his mother agreed. He also thought that celery detracted from the dish. His sister and mother disagreed. The conclusion reached was it was dish that we should eat again. And as a sausage lover it is great to have a family that want more chorizo. I consider that any quality sausage could be used in this dish, substitute your favourite for a great meal.