This chickpea stew owes its speed and deliciousness to chorizo. It injects a stack of flavour into the thick sauce, and biting into glorious chunks of golden brown chorizo will probably be the best thing that happens to you today. Let’s put chorizo in everything!!
A quick-to-make chorizo chickpea stew
I know you ordinarily associate the word “stew” with hours of slow cooking. But in today’s dish, it’s a 15 minute simmer and the end result is something that resembles a stew to me. So although we’ve made it in a fraction of the time, I’m sticking with the name!
Despite the speed, you will not feel robbed of flavour by any stretch of the imagination thanks to chorizo, the powerful little flavour packed Spanish sausages that are the hero of today’s dish. (Sorry chickpeas, but it’s true).
We sauté chorizo slices until golden brown before braising in a tomato-based stew sauce for a mere 15 minutes to infuse the sauce with chorizo flavour. Chickpeas add bulk and texture to the dish, and I love how they too absorb the chorizo flavour!
What you need
Here’s what you need for this chorizo chickpea stew:
Chorizo – The well seasoned cured sausage from Spain is the hero of the dish today (sorry chickpeas!). You get great bang for your buck with chorizo – so much flavour packed into a little sausage. Find them at the deli or in the cured meats section of the fridge.
Alternatives – Any smoked sausage (like kranskey’s, German sausages etc).
Tip – Get extra and make everybody’s favourite smoked sausage and rice, or a big paella!
Chickpeas – We’re just going canned today, for convenience, for this quick ‘n easy meal. Just crack open that can!
Crushed tomato – This is already kind of smushed so it breaks down more easily into a thick sauce compared to, say, diced tomato which has larger chunks. Diced tomato will work too though, you just may want to simmer for a bit longer to let them break down a bit. If you only have whole canned tomato, crush them with your hands or use a potato masher before putting the pot.
Chicken stock/broth – I like to use low sodium so I can control the salt in this. We do get quite a bit of salt from the chorizo so it really is better to use low-salt stock.
Vegetable stock also works, but chicken stock does give the stew sauce deeper flavour.
Bay leaf, thyme and smoked paprika – Herb and spice flavours for the sauce. Sautéed with the chorizo to bring out toasty flavour before adding the liquids. Great trick to get more flavour into your dishes – toast those herbs and spices!
Garlic – This dish was never going to happen without garlic!
How to make chorizo chickpea stew
Stew-like results with stir-fry speed! OK, fine, that’s a wee bit of an exaggeration. It takes longer than a stir-fry. 😂 But it’s MUCH faster than traditional stews!!!
Sauté the chorizo until golden. Toast the spices for 1 minute. Tip in the chickpeas and tomato then simmer for 15 minutes. Stew. Done!
Sauté chorizo slices in a little oil until beautifully golden and caramelised. Don’t be tempted to shortcut this step! The chorizo tastes so much better when it’s browned, plus we want to coax the tasty highly flavourful oil out of the chorizo so it can flavour everything else in this dish!
Sauté herbs & spices – Once the chorizo is golden, add the bay leaf, thyme and paprika. Toast it for a minute, inhaling deeply to enjoy the smell! It really is so good. (Oh, and we toast the herbs and spices to bring extra flavour out of them. Not just so we can enjoy the smell! 😂).
Add everything else – Add the chickpeas, tomato, chicken stock, salt and pepper, then give it all a good stir.
Simmer for 15 minutes with the lid off until the sauce thickens. Then that’s it! Ready to serve. 🙂
Serve with crusty bread for dunking, for a quick ‘n easy meal (suggestion: everybody’s favourite no-knead Crusty Artisan Bread), or flatbreads for scooping.
Alternatively, serve it over a starchy vehicle of choice, such as mashed potato (mashed cauliflower for a low-carb option), couscous or small pasta (like orzo/risoni, orecchiette, small macaroni).
For a quick salad or vegetable side, use whatever greens you have in the fridge, raw or steamed, and toss with my Everyday Salad Dressing. Or browse all vegetable sides to find something that inspires!
Dinner. Done. How fast was that??? And just wait until you taste it! You are going to be amazed how much flavour is packed into that pot of stewy deliciousness for such an easy dish.
Such is the miracle of chorizo. So much power packed into one little sausage.
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chorizo chickpea stew (fast)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 250g / 8 oz chorizo (2 pieces) , cut into 8mm / 1/3″ slices (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (sub normal paprika)
- 1 bay leaf , preferably fresh, otherwise dried
- 400g / 14oz can crushed tomato
- 400g/14 oz can chickpeas , drained (or other beans of choice)
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth , low sodium
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Sauté chorizo – Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or small pot over medium high heat. Add chorizo and cook for 3 minutes or until golden.
- Sauté aromatics – Add garlic, thyme, paprika and bay leaf, then stir for 1 minute.
- Add everything else – Add tomato, chickpeas, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer then lower the heat down to medium low so it is simmering very gently.
- Cook for 15 minutes (no lid), stirring regularly to ensure the base does not catch, until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Serve – Discard bay leaf and serve. I love this with hot crusty bread (slathered with butter!).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
When Dozer visited One Meal Northern Beaches early one morning before the volunteers started arriving (this was 6 am!). This is where the meals we make at RecipeTin Meals (my food bank) is donated during the week. I have a team of 3 full time cooks (chef + 2 kitchen hands) who make homemade meals from scratch, 5 days a week. Many recipes from this website! 🙂
Congratulations Nagi on your 2023 Australia Day Award for Outstanding Community Service. Recipetin Meals is awesome and you should be very proud!
The stew looks great too. I am keen to try it when the weather cools and will add it to my one pot camping recipes. Thank you 🙂
Thanks so much for the heads up on discount for your cookbook. I can’t wait until Feb 21 when it arrives on my doorstep!! You and Dozer enjoy your warm days while we in Ohio, USA are freezing our tails off.
Way to go Dozer!! I get up at 4am so you will fit right on. Mind you, we are freezing but not as bad as prior years, my Goldie’s loved it in the snow so, come on over
XOXO
Great recipe, really comforting and substantial. We added a couple of pieces of cod loin to the top for the last 10 mins.
Got the chorizo today to give this a go. 💯 exciting countdown to receiving your cookbook next month here in Canada! Congratulations Nagi and thanks for so many of our family now favourite creations 🤗
The beauty of well used soup bowls is SO aesthetically pleasing. Thanks for the visual Wabi Sabi! I am making this recipe for dinner tonight. Love and HUGS to you and Dozer! Grateful for your AWESOME-NESS!
Like mostly all of your offerings this dish makes my mouth water.
Love what you are doing for a needy community.
I ordered my book the very first chance I could so I’m afraid the discount won’t save me a dime. But I’m looking forward to receiving it and Cooking 🥘!!!
I will make this recipe this weekend as it blends my love of chickpeas and my husband’s love of sausage. I love your website and it helps with reminders of Sydney, where we lived fir 13 years. Now in Canada these small reminders are great. Made your pavlova this past weekend and it was great! Thank you
OMG! I just got some chorizo from the grocery, just need to grab a can of chickpeas. I can’t wait to try this! It is freezing, snowing and freezing rain here in Ohio and I am all about this “stew”! Thanks Nagi and give Dozer a kiss for me! xoxo
Fantastic. Did you use spicy(hot) chorizo?
Today I received your site in “Norwegian”. It’s not Norwegian. Entertaining and funny reading (so many new words!), but unuseful for making food. Try to make your robot to translate the Norwegian text back to English. How can I get back the (originally) English version? All the best!
I clicked on the link and saw that you won an Australia Day Community Award. Congratulations!!! You are a very worthy winner. XX
We have this sort of meal in winter, but I add onion, garlic, chili powder and sweet potato, and I agree, it is absolutely delicious!
Is the Chorizo Mexican or the Spanish that we could in New York when I was a child? All I can find in the Chicago area is the Mexican which is very soft and falls apart when cooked. The one I am looking for is more like Pepperoni. Which one did you use?
I’m guessing Spanish as that’s what’s commonly sold in the city where Nagi lives
Outside the US, everyone means Spanish chorizo. You can see in the photos it’s the firm, sliceable kind. Can you get andouille?
Her notes section states Spanish and to look for it in the deli or refrigerated area. Also in her narrative she references the Spanish style. Enjoy-looking forward to making this myself.
Congratulations Nagi on your Australian Day award! Well deserved – you do so much for the less fortunate in the community.
Hope you had a lovely Australia day. Love to Dozer.
Lordie. Nagi – you got the new kitchen – absolutely fabulous! Oh – your book was waiting for me when I got home from hospital – nearly three months ago! OK – I do have a Queen-sized bed, but – the book has shared it with me every night ’cause I am still reading and enjoying and shall soon be cooking from it 😉 !!!
Gail made me do some homework – delighted with your recognition – well deserved, Nagi ! . . . And the chickpea stew will be made . . . just other matters have been just a tad more exciting this Australia Day !!!
Looks lovely Nagi but a low on veggies – I’ll make this tomorrwo night but I’m planning to add red pepper and maybe courgette/zucchini as well, and maybe even some black olives. Happy Australia day!
This is actually a staple dish in Spain that one usually has once a week in the winter and some ingredients may differ from household to household, but normally it also comes loaded with vegetables cut in bite-sized pieces. Potatoes, carrots and onions make an appearance, and some may also add celery, red bell peppers and / or pumpkin. I’d add the vegetables when you add everything else except for the chickpeas, simmer for about 15 minutes till the veggies are nearly tender (maybe add some water so that the chicken stock doesn’t entirely evaporate), then add the chickpeas and simmer for a further 15. The idea is that the veggies melt in your mouth.
That’s great to know Tania, thanks. Have had this in Spain myself but so many years ago I forgot exactly what veggies were in it.
Ha! It’s the LACK of veggies that draws me to this! To each her own the lady said as she kissed her cow!
Beans & legumes are vegetables. Sorry!
According to my husband, vegetables only belong in a casserole. Hee hee
Oh yes, I think zucchini would be awesome, and my original thought was carrots, as well <3 Thank you for sharing this recipe, Nagi 😀