Chicken with Chorizo

Name: Chicken with Chorizo
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 250g chicken thigh fillets; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 brown onion, finely diced; 1 smoked chouriço, diced; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 fresh bay leaves, torn; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; ⅓ cup dry white wine; ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves; 1 tablespoon Piri-Piri Sauce; Bolo do caco, for serving

My chicken with chorizo recipe is based on a classic Portuguese dish, amêijoas com chouriço (clams with chorizo). I created it for a friend who couldn’t eat shellfish but didn’t want to miss out on the flavours. Chicken’s not dissimilar to meaty clams and so we have frango com chouriço. In the Algarve and Alentejo regions of southern Portugal a dish like this would often be cooked in a cataplana, a traditional vessel made of aluminium or copper with two concave halves that clip together to tightly enclose and steam the ingredients. It’s placed over a fire and turned halfway through the cooking to ensure everything’s well combined and evenly cooked. A high-sided frying pan or wok works as well, it just involves a bit more stirring. Use parsley instead of, or as well as, coriander if you prefer. Bolo do caco, the sweet potato flatbread from Madeira, is an excellent accompaniment to clams or chicken with chorizo for soaking up all the spicy sauce (see video below). And I love a glass of a nutty dry oloroso Sherry with it too, like the 12 year old Cuco from Barbadillo.

Serves 2

Ingredients

250g chicken thigh fillets, skin off
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
Salt flakes, to taste
1 smoked chorizo, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 fresh bay leaves, torn
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
⅓ cup dry white wine
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tablespoon piri-piri sauce
Bread, for serving

Method

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Heat oil in a high-sided frying pan over medium heat, add onion and a good pinch of salt and stir well. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not coloured.
Stir in chicken, chorizo, garlic, bay leaves and paprika, increase heat slightly and cook for a further 6 minutes, stirring often.
Increase heat to high, add wine and stir well to remove any bits stuck to the base of the pan.
Cook for a minute or 2, until most of the wine evaporates and the chicken is just cooked through.
Remove from heat and stir through coriander and piri-piri sauce.
Serve with bread for mopping up the sauce.