Chorizo often creeps its way into my comfort food and go to recipe for a couple of reason one is its long shelf life I always have a couple stashed in the fridge and the other is because I simply adore its flavour and the flavour it imparts on any dish it is cooked with. For example, the flavour it can bring to a simple pan-fried chicken breast is phenomenal. Simply chop the chorizo warm it through in a dry pan until it releases those flavoursome orange tinted oils, remove from the pan then fry a butterflied chicken breast seasoned simply with salt & pepper in the oil until cooked through. Top with cheddar cheese and pop under a hot grill to melt the cheese. Yum!
This brings me to my chicken & chorizo orzo which is the type of bolstering comfort food I love. The orzo gets all sticky and gives the whole dish a velvety texture, the chorizo gives bright bold flavour and the chicken cooks in the steam released from the whole dish and the skin in the final 15 minutes in the oven with the lid off makes the skin really crisp up and bronze. Truely comfort food at its best. It also helps that it is very easy on the washing up. Check out the recipe below.
AuthordanieldiverThis simple pan of comfort food consisting of crispy skinned chicken with a silky smooth paprika sauce and pasta. Cooking the orzo in the oven in the tomato sauce really gives it a velvety texture, you will know exactly what I mean when you try. Orzo is a pasta, although it looks remarkably like grains of rice. The starch it releases whilst it cook seeps into the sauce giving it a liquid velvet consistency. If you like your food spicy then please do use a spicy chorizo sausage and if you don't use a sweet smoked paprika style chorizo instead, you can if you like add a few chilli flakes if you want a mild heat.
Sprinkle the skin side of the chicken thighs with smoked paprika. Add the oil to a shallow casserole and place over a high heat. Place the chicken skin side down in the hot pan and cook for 4 - 5 minutes until the skin bronzes. Then transfer to a plate and set aside.
Meanwhile, chop the onion. Using the pan the chicken was browned in, turn the heat under the pan to low and add the onion. Stir the onions in the orange oil until they begin to become translucent. Using a fine grater, mince the garlic cloves into the pan as well as the orange zestand add the dried oregano and chopped chorizo sausage. Continue to cook for another minute until the oil from the chorizo begins to be released from the sausage.
Stir the orzo into the pan. Stir in the can of tomatoes and water scraping any bits up from the bottom of the pan as you do.
Using tongs, transfer the chicken thighs back into the pan skin side up. Allow it to come back to boiling point, then put the lid on and transfer to the oven cook for 1 hour, 45 minutes with the lid on and a further 15 minutes with the lid off.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. stir up the orzo between the chicken thighs and to release the sticky bits from the bottom. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Sprinkle the skin side of the chicken thighs with smoked paprika. Add the oil to a shallow casserole and place over a high heat. Place the chicken skin side down in the hot pan and cook for 4 - 5 minutes until the skin bronzes. Then transfer to a plate and set aside.
Meanwhile, chop the onion. Using the pan the chicken was browned in, turn the heat under the pan to low and add the onion. Stir the onions in the orange oil until they begin to become translucent. Using a fine grater, mince the garlic cloves into the pan as well as the orange zestand add the dried oregano and chopped chorizo sausage. Continue to cook for another minute until the oil from the chorizo begins to be released from the sausage.
Stir the orzo into the pan. Stir in the can of tomatoes and water scraping any bits up from the bottom of the pan as you do.
Using tongs, transfer the chicken thighs back into the pan skin side up. Allow it to come back to boiling point, then put the lid on and transfer to the oven cook for 1 hour, 45 minutes with the lid on and a further 15 minutes with the lid off.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. stir up the orzo between the chicken thighs and to release the sticky bits from the bottom. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.