Chorizo Chicken - My first recipe post

Hello, and happy Sunday to you. 

How kind of you to call by and read my first recipe post. 

One of my (many) new year resolutions was to broadened my culinary horizons, and try new recipes.  I thought I would buy a new food item each month and try a new recipe with it.  Unfortunately with various ailments throughout January my purchase of the new item took place, but cooking with it didn't.  I guess I fell at the first hurdle...but this week's horse-meat news gave me the kick up the bum I needed (not that we buy pre-made lasagne any more thank goodness) and so my desire to cook more and experiment more (not with horse meat) was re-kindled.

I have also just read the lovely #CookItBlogIt from Crazy with twins so I'm even going to try linking up!  Apologies ladies if my recipe is 'basic' :)

So, one month behind schedule here it is.  (And guess what? I even took a few pictures!)

Month: February

New Item purchased: Chorizo sausage

Recipe: Chorizo chicken

I cooked this in my faithful slow cooker, although you could, I'm sure, do it in a casserole in a conventional oven. 

Cooking time: 3-4 hours on High, or 6-8 hours on low/auto

Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts (thighs might well be more succulent, but I'm not great with the faffing involved in eating bone-cuts)
About 3-4 inch long chorizo sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsps olive oil
1 red onion finely sliced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 red pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 courgette sliced
60ml of sherry (which you are required to taste first and pull a 'ooh-that's-really-bitter-sweet' face, before deciding it was a bad idea)
200ml chicken stock
A tin of tomatoes chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves chopped (picked straight from your immaculately well-kept herb garden *ahem*)

1. Pre-heat the slow cooker to high (or low depending on which you setting you are using, obviously)
2. Heat the oil in a high-sided pan (as it spits I discovered having never used so much oil before).  Brown the chicken breasts by frying (turning regularly) for about 8 mins, and place in slow cooker
3. Add the chorizo to the oil and fry until browned - about 3 mins - then put in slow cooker with the chicken
4. Turn the hob down to a medium/low ish heat and fry the onion - it'll pick up the chorizo redness and look gorgeous - until nice and soft. 
5. Sprinkle the coriander over and cook for another 1 min
6. Add the peppers, courgette and garlic, and cook on low for another 5ish mins, stirring to ensure they soften but don't catch
7. Add the sherry, tomatoes, stock and thyme, and stir.  I also add a few turns of black pepper at this point.  Let it simmer a little bit.
8. Add it to the chicken and chorizo in the slow cooker and allow to cook (as per above)

I used the 'high' setting to do this, and it was just about moist enough.  If you were using the low/auto setting you might want to try 250ml of stock instead, to keep it from drying out.

I served this with basmati rice, tenderstem broccoli and peas.  It would also go very nicely with mash I'm sure.  It was delicious and we were able to freeze half of it!

Would my children eat it? Jury's out.  Me & my husband loved it.  My son might well eat it, but the strong flavours would be a total no-no with my fussy little girl.  It's quite a grown up taste really.

Would I cook it again? Most definitely.  (Silly question really as I wouldn't be sharing it with you dear reader if not!) I loved the colours of the foods that went into it, and the rich sauce.  Aside from the fat in the sausage, it is also a really healthy Mediterranean meal. 

Happy cooking!