Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Risotto (Paella Risotto)

Paella is the freekin bomb, isn’t it!? During the warmer months, we love any excuse to get out the outdoor paella burner and cook up a big, throw-in-all-the-seafood, Paella. It’s a Summer ritual… Pimms and Paella. Get on board! It’s a thing! My sister always talks about how she makes a mean chicken and chorizo risotto or paella risotto if you will. While the idea was always tempting it was always a case of, can it really be as good as a big bowl of paella? Well, it’s now settled. It totally IS as good and I’m obsessed!

Here’s why you are going to love this creamy chorizo risotto recipe

Chicken and chorizo… It’s like the BEST food flavor combo ever! If you love It as much as I do you might like my One-pan chicken and chorizo orzo bake

I love to cook most nights of the week, and this creamy chorizo and chicken risotto recipe is a cracking mid-week dinner option. If I’m short on time and don’t want to stand in the kitchen stirring the whole time, I just cook the risotto in my Magimix Cook Expert and it does all the stirring for me.

The whole family will love this dinner. It’s an easy main course with no heat, but tons of flavor. AND you can easily make so many substitutions to suit everyone. Winner winner chicken risotto dinner!

The ingredients you need to get started

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs – approx. 2-3 average-size fillets
  
  
  
• Chorizo sausage. Isn’t chicken and Spanish chorizo just a match made in heaven? I use mild chorizo to keep this risotto family-friendly. Want to spice it up a bit? Substitute the mild chorizo for a hot one!
  
  
  
• Vegetables – brown onion, garlic cloves, frozen peas, English spinach, canned tomatoes.
  
  
  
• Sweet smoked paprika – there are a lot of paprikas on the market. I always look for authentic Spanish sweet smoked paprika. This one is my go-to. It’s stone ground after being smoked for 15 days. The flavor and depth that it brings to your cooking is amazing. I seriously can’t live without this stuff!
  
  
  
• Saffron threads
  
  
  
• White wine – Sometimes I have a bottle of wine open specifically for cooking, sometimes it’s a matter of what I’m drinking. For easy risotto recipes like this one, I generally cook with chardonnay, sav blanc, or pinot gris and tend to shy away from the sweeter white wines.
  
  
  
• Chicken broth or stock. In this case, I had heaps of my homemade pressure cooker chicken stock in the freezer.
  
  
  
• Freshly grated Grana Padano or Reggiano parmesan cheese.
  
  
  
• Carnaroli or Arborio rice. Both of these types of rice are known as risotto rice and can absorb up to three times their liquid while still holding their shape.
  
  
• Olive oil, Sea Salt and Pepper.

The details – how to make this chicken and chorizo risotto recipe

1. In a pot on medium-high heat, bring the stock to a simmer. Turn off the heat and pop aside.
   
   
   
2. In a large pan (shallow), saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent
   
   
   
3. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.
   
   
   
4. Increase to medium heat and add the chicken pieces and gently brown for 2-3 minutes.
   
   
   
5. Add the chorizo and saute for a couple of minutes.
   
   
   
6. Add the paprika, saffron, canned tomatoes, and rice. Stir through to combine all the ingredients.
   
   
   
7. Add the wine and cook until the wine has nearly all evaporated.
   
   
   
8. Add a cup of the hot stock, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until all of the stock has been absorbed by the rice. Continue adding the stock (and still stirring) one cup at a time making sure each cup is absorbed before adding another. When 75% of the stock has been used, add the frozen peas and stir through the risotto.
   
   
   
9. Once the rice is al dente, (normally around 20 minutes of cooking time), remove it from the heat. Add the Parmesan and English spinach and stir through.
   
   
   
10. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Equipment

I always cook risotto in my Le Creuset 30cm shallow casserole dish. Remember, If you are using an enamel cast iron pan, always add the oil prior to heating on top of the stove. And always let the pot heat up on a low heat as opposed to blasting it on a high heat and causing thermal shock to your cookware. Bonus, these are the BEST cooking vessels around when you want to do the cooking and serving & in one dish.

Let’s take this up a notch…

How about we take this easy chicken chorizo risotto recipe and add some peeled green prawns (at step 8 with the peas) and turn this into a chicken, prawn, and chorizo risotto? Or Prawns and mussels? Or prawns, mussels, and squid tubes? A few additions make an easy (and delicious) seafood, Spanish-style risotto.

As risotto can basically be a meal on its own, It is perfectly acceptable to serve any sides alongside it. However, If you’re looking to amp it up a little, try adding a simple Caprese salad and maybe a baguette or a chunk of crusty bread.

Do you have to use arborio rice for risotto?

Risottos are traditionally made from Italian-grown arborio or carnaroli rice. Because they hold their shape while still absorbing liquid and the creamy texture it creates when making risotto. While you could use a different rice, every rice has different characteristics, therefore you won’t get the same result.

What is the difference between risotto and paella?

Generally speaking, risotto is the creamier, more liquid version of paella with parmesan. This all comes down to the rice used. Arborio rice becomes creamy when liquid is added resulting in that silky risotto texture we all love. Paella is made with Calasparra rice (native to Spain) which can absorb a huge amount of liquid while still retaining its shape with none of the creaminess.

Have leftovers?

Once cooled, pop into an airtight container for your lunch tomorrow! All you have to do is reheat your Spanish risotto in the microwave or pop it into a frypan on the stove (Both with a little water). Warm it up by incorporating the water into the risotto and mixing it through and topping it with grated parmesan.

Here are a few more dinner recipes you might like…

• Slow-cooked Mexican shredded beef cheeks
• Black garlic roast chicken
• Chicken and bacon creamy pesto pasta
• Cajun Chicken Burgers
• Roasted balsamic beetroot and carrot salad with labneh

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