Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo Stew

Chicken and chorizo in a rich tomato sauce with a subtle warmth. This Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo Stew is perfect for a cold winter night served with rice or tortillas and salad and a dollop of soured cream.  
  

Mexican inspiration 

My love of Mexican food is no secret and I am constantly thinking of new recipe ideas. Whether it is adapting traditional recipes, or using Mexican flavors to come up with yummy dishes of my own.

This Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo Stew is by no means traditional. It borrows some delicious Mexican flavours to make a comforting and tasty dish. What is lacks in authenticity, it definitely makes up for in ease and taste. 

Using a slow cooker 

By using the slow cooker, it makes this Chicken & Chorizo Stew even easier. After some quick prep work you can leave the slow cooker to do all of the hard work.

I use a 3.5L slow cooker for this recipe but you can easily double the recipe if you have a bigger slow cooker. You can make a larger batch of this Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo Stew and freeze it for quick meals at a later date.  
 

Which cut of chicken is best to use?

There are always chicken thighs in my freezer and chorizo in my fridge. I love chicken thighs because they have so much flavour. I must admit I prefer leg and thigh meat on a roast chicken.

Breast is very tasty but has nothing on thigh meat in my option. Thighs are also great in slow cooker dishes because they don’t dry out as easily as breast meat can. 

With the chorizo, I am lucky that my parents often bring me a delicious ring back from their trips to Fuerteventura. You can buy a normal or spicy chorizo, so buy whichever you fancy. The rings do tend to have a papery covering so make sure you peel this off before you cut it up. 

Can I still make this if I don’t have all of the chilli powders in the recipe?

Absolutely! Even though I have quite a collection of chilli powders, I realise that not everyone does. So with this recipe I have tried to keep it to chilli powders and flakes that I have seen in supermarkets.

If you still can’t find them, it isn’t the end of the world and you can just substitute it with any chilli powder you have. Bear in mind to use less if it is hot and more if it is very mild. I love to use Mexican oregano because it has a slight citrus flavour but again, if you don’t have this normal oregano will be just fine.  

Can you freeze leftovers?

Yes absolutely. I freeze some every time I make this Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo Stew. Make sure you put the leftovers in the freezer within two hours of it finishing cooking. When you want to want to defrost it, put it in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight to fully defrost.

I prefer to reheat it in a pan so I can add some more water if needed. I also like to add some more tomato puree if the sauce needs to be  bit richer. You can heat it in the microwave if you prefer. Whichever way you choose make sure it is piping hot before serving. 

How do you serve this?

I like to serve this Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo Stew with rice, soured cream and some tortillas on the side. You could also serve it with some tortillas and salad. Another way to serve them is as my Chicken & Chorizo Nachos – you’ll love them!

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Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo Stew

Chicken and chorizo in a rich tomato sauce with a subtle warmth, this Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo Stew is perfect for a cold winter night served with rice or tortillas and salad and a dollop of soured cream.  

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Slow Cooker, Chicken, Chorizo

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 55 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 433 kcal

Author Curly

Ingredients

• 100 g chorizo
• 3 peppers sliced
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 500 g chicken thighs deboned and skinless
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ancho chili flakes
• ½ tsp chipotle chili powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 300 ml water
• 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water

Instructions

1. Remove the 'skin' from the chorizo and fry either in a dry pan or in your slow cooker basin on the hob (you’ll know if your slow cooker has this function). You just want the chorizo to get slightly browned and release its oil

2. Add the sliced peppers to your slow cooker along with the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic and water and stir everything together

3. If they aren’t already, debone your chicken thighs and remove the skin. 

4. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with the oregano, paprika, chile flakes, salt and pepper and then lay them on top of the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker
5. Cook for 4 hours on high or 6 on low before removing the chicken. Shred the chicken before adding back to the slow cooker and stirring everything together
6. If you want the sauce to thicken, add the cornflour and water mix and stir through

7. Cook for a further 30 mins and serve either with rice, salad or tortillas and sprinkle with chives or spring onions and some feta

Recipe Notes

I use a 3.5L slow cooker 

Even if I buy chicken thighs de-boned and skinless, I always check them over to trim of any excess fat, remove any veins and check for any small bones that may have been missed

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Chicken & Chorizo Stew

Amount Per Serving

Calories 433 Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Fat 30g46%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Cholesterol 144mg48%

Sodium 1138mg49%

Potassium 755mg22%

Carbohydrates 11g4%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 28g56%

Vitamin A 870IU17%

Vitamin C 82.2mg100%

Calcium 74mg7%

Iron 3.2mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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