Red Wine-Braised Chicken with Chorizo and Chickpeas

There was something that intrigued me about this recipe I stumbled on Epicurious' app this week.  It reminded me of some Latin or South American cuisine I tried once and was interested in the combination of flavors in the recipe.  What I liked most about the recipe is that you didn't need to eat much to fill up.  Using chicken thighs, I was thinking the small amounts of meat wouldn't be enough, but the chicken in combination of the protein filled chickpeas provided more than enough food to satisfy my hunger pangs.

If you are up for something new, give this one a try!

Red Wine-Braised Chicken with Chorizo and Chickpeas

1/2 C golden raisins
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, plus a dash more
4 skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed
1 tsp olive oil
6 oz dried spanish chorizo, casing removed, halved lenthwise and sliced into 1/4"half moons
1 - 15oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 C dry red wine
1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 tsp sherry vinegar
1/3 C plus 1 Tbsp coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley, divided

Place raisins in a small bowl, cover with hot water.  Set aside

Mix cumin, paprika, 1 1/4 salt and 1/4 tsp cayenne in a small bowl.  Pat chicken dry and rub spice mixture all over.

In a medium bowl, mix chickpeas, orange zest, remaining 3/4 tsp salt, and a pinch of cayenne and allow to stand.

Heat oil in a 5-7 qt dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat.  Add chorizo and cook, stirring frequently until browned, 5-8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to chickpea mixture and stir to combine.  Drain all but 2 Tbsp fat from the pan and then return to medium high heat.  Cook chicken until well browned on both sides.  Transfer to a plate to rest.  Add onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until just tender...approx 3 minutes.

Add wine and broth to the pot to deglaze, ensuring to scrape all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil and nestle the chicken onto the onions in the pan.  Lower the heat to medium, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.

Drain the raisins and stir into the chorizo mixture. Stir chorizo mixture and add Sherry vinegar.  Add the chorizo mixture to the chicken.  Cook uncovered until heated through...approx 1 minute.  Stir in 1/3 Cup parsley and divide onto plates.  Top the dish with the remaining 1 Tbsp parsley and serve.

We ate this with rice, but I think it would be fabulous on top of fresh spinach or sautéed swiss chard.