Cumin-scented Chorizo and Chicken with Black Beans, Peppers and Rice
If you like the flavors of a chicken burrito in a bowl like they serve at Chipotle's then you will like this concoction I created--- I like to think my dish is better.
It takes advantage of the delicious smokey flavors of chorizo, which is a pork sausage, spiced with paprika, celery seed and chili/cumin spices.
This is comfort food, not fussy food. Good for a day when it is cool outside and you have other chores to do
---Barbara.
Chorizo and Chicken with Black Beans and Peppers over Rice
Serves 4
1 large onion, white or yellow, diced
3 red or orange bell peppers, seeded and diced
6 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
olive oil for sauteing
salt and pepper
ground cumin, about 1.5 teaspoons
1/2 cup of white wine
1 T. honey
1 can of black beans, drained well
12 oz. chorizo sausage, sliced into crescents (1 package)
3/4 pound of cooked chicken, cut into chunks (1 large chicken breast)
sour cream
chopped cilantro
You will need a large skillet with a tightly fitting cover for this dish.
Chop the onion, heat up the pan and add oil for sauteing, then add the onions. Add a pinch of salt.
Reduce heat to medium low and let them sweat and cook down --- this will take a while --- about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, seed and chop the peppers.
Peel and mince the garlic.
Open the sausage, dry it off, slice them lengthwise then crosswise, until you have a pile of crescents.
Cut up your chicken in to chunks, set aside.
Open and drain well the black beans.
After the onions are translucent and fragrant, but not browned, turn up the heat to medium high, and add the chopped peppers. Add a pinch of salt. Cook until they start to wilt -- about 3-4 minutes.
Add the garlic and sprinkle with the cumin, and cook for a 1-2 minutes, but don't let the garlic brown or burn.
Add the chorizo and turn up the heat to high, to try to brown the chorizo a little without burning the veggies. You will start to get some nice bits of brown on the bottom. Keep stirring.
Once it gets dry --- don't let it burn --- then add the wine, and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn the pan down to medium.
Before you add the beans, salt them pretty well --- beans need salt --- then add them to the skillet.
Drizzle the honey on top. Stir and cover. Lower the heat to as low as your stove will keep a simmer, i.e., low low.
Let it cook gently for at least 45 minutes -- or longer -- now add the cooked chicken towards the end, so it soaks up the flavors but doesn't get too dried out.
From time to time check to be sure there is enough liquid in the covered skillet-- and add a little more water or wine, if needed.
Prior to serving, make a batch of fluffy Texmati (basmati) rice. Chop up some fresh cilantro.
Just before serving, taste. and add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve over the rice, add a big dollop of sour cream and lots of freshly chopped cilantro.
B