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! 🙂
Anne S says
Quick, easy, and oh so delicious.
Lisa says
Could this be served with rice?
Nagi says
Absolutely! 🙂 N x
Jenny says
Nagi. Your Greek Chicken marinade, can it be used for fish or prawns, and if yes can you provide suggestions on marinade and cooking time. Thanks
Nagi says
Hi Jenny! Only around 20 minutes would be needed as seafood is more delicate 🙂 N x
Judith Kelly says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. It was a perfect meal for the weather we are dealing with, arctic temperatures and lots of snow! I wasn’t able to get the fresh soft chorizo so I bought the dried one, removed the outer skin and sliced each piece in half circles. I sautéed them in about 6 tbsp. of water for about 12 minutes to soften them with the lid on the pan and stirred them every couple of minutes. Followed the recipe exactly after that. This is a keeper and it is fast, even with the extra step I had to do to get the chorizo to soften. Thank you for another winner Nagi!
Nagi says
I love hearing that!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback Judith! N x
Deanna says
Congrats dear Nagi on a well earned honour. It’s stinking hot and humid but hubby insists on the chorizo and chickpeas for dinner🙄! Maybe it will work like a curry🤔?
Nagi says
He he I love that hubby is insisting on this for dinner!!! Mustn’t deprive him! N x
Lynda Wilson says
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 🙂
Nagi says
Aww thank you Lynda! Very unexpected and very embarrassing, I made the most awkward speech and forgot to thank everyone 🤦🏻♀️
Susan says
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.
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Susan! Thank you for getting my cookbook, I hope you enjoy it! N xx
Sarah says
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
Cliff says
Great recipe, really comforting and substantial. We added a couple of pieces of cod loin to the top for the last 10 mins.
Debra Parks says
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 🤗
marti says
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!
Jonathan says
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 🥘!!!
Leslie says
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
Jenn says
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
Robert Pringle says
Fantastic. Did you use spicy(hot) chorizo?
Arve Torkelsen says
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!
Helen says
I clicked on the link and saw that you won an Australia Day Community Award. Congratulations!!! You are a very worthy winner. XX
Iris Burrows says
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!
Alicia says
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?
Wendy says
I’m in the Milwaukee area. Boar’s Head makes Spanish style chorizo and it’s available at Fresh Thyme. Look on Boar’s Head’s website and use their locator to find stores near you. Good Luck.
Wendy says
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.
Lisa says
Outside the US, everyone means Spanish chorizo. You can see in the photos it’s the firm, sliceable kind. Can you get andouille?
Sandra says
I’m guessing Spanish as that’s what’s commonly sold in the city where Nagi lives
Gail says
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.