Chicken Chorizo II - (One Dish Meal Organic)

This dish combines the flavors of Chicken Thighs and Spanish Chorizo (sweet or spicy sausage) in a tasty ‘One Pot’ brown rice Dutch oven dish.

There are many varieties of Chorizo but Spanish chorizo is typically the most readily available in the grocery store. It is made from coarsely chopped pork and pork fat, seasoned with smoked pimentón (paprika) and salt. It is generally classed as either picante (spicy) or dulce (sweet), depending upon the type of smoked paprika used. Chorizo comes in short, long, hard and soft varieties, some of which are suited to being eaten as an appetizer or tapas, whereas others are better suited to cooking. Leaner varieties are typically better suited to tapas, eaten at room temperature, whereas fattier versions are generally used for cooking. A general rule of thumb is that long, thin chorizos are sweeter and short chorizos are spicy, although this is not always the case.

Ingredients
 1 Lb. Boneless organic chicken thighs
 ½ Lb. - Chorizo (soft for this recipe)
 2 cups - Long Grain Brown Rice (not instant)
 1- 4 oz. bottle White Zinfandel wine (or substitute ½ bottle white cooking wine)
 2 each - Roasted Red Peppers cut into thick slices (canned or prepared ahead of time on the grill)
 1 Small Sweet Onion, sliced thin
 2.5 cups - Chicken Broth
 1 cup - Frozen Peas
 Paul Prudhommes Poultry Magic Seasoning (to taste)
 Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
 2 Tsp. – Oregano (or 2 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Oregano)
 1 Tsp. - Crushed Red Pepper (flakes)
 6 cloves - Fresh Garlic, minced
 2 each - Bay Leaf
 Paprika - Pinch


Preparation
1. Preheat Big Green Egg to High Heat.
2. Season chicken with PP’s seasoning. In the Dutch oven drizzle in some EVOO and add the chicken and let cook until tender. Add the Chorizo, stirring frequently until browned (4-5 minutes max.).
3. Add the sliced onions, red pepper flakes, oregano, bay leaves and a pinch of paprika and stir until onions are transparent.
4. Cook, stirring frequently and add broth and keep stirring until it comes to a boil.
5. Add rice and shut down the egg and cover Dutch oven for 5-8 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

6. Remove from heat and let set for 15 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas with a fork, cover Dutch oven and let sit for 5 more minutes and serve.

Penne Paella

A variation on my Penne with Sausage and Peas that included substituting Mild Italian Sausage (for Andouille) and 8 oz. of Tomato sauce for the chicken broth in the original recipe.  Probably more of a Marzette than a Paella actually.


Ingredients
• 8-10 Oz. Penne Pasta, uncooked
• EVOO
• ¾ Lb. Mild Italian Sausage
• 3 large Cloves of Fresh Garlic (minced)
• 1 Large Tomato, chopped
• ¼ Tsp. Salt
• 1 -2 Tsp. Paul Prudhomme’s Seasoning Magic Pork and Veil Magic
• 8 Oz. can Tomato Sauce
• 1 Cup, Frozen peas, thawed
• 1 Cup, Fresh Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Fire up BGE to full flame and heat a large pot (a CI double broiler or Emile Henry 4-5 qt. pot will work fine) of lightly salted water to boiling; Add pasta and cook until tender then drain and set aside.
2. Close off the bottom damper on the BGE to and place large paella pan on grid.
3. Drizzle EVOO in bottom of paella pan then add the garlic and sausage, sprinkle on the Pork Magic and cook until browned (turn/stir occasionally).
4. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the pasta and the peas and stir well.
6. When hot, add the cheese and toss until melted. (Option: Add Cheese as a garnish instead of melting with the pasta).
7. Remove from heat and serve right from the Paella pan.

Nothing like cooking the entire dinner on the egg once again, no heat in the kitchen.  Here are the 'RAWS' (most of them anyway).

PENNE WITH SAUSAGE AND PEAS

Pint Size Paella (w/Organic Chicken)

Paella; a yummy Spanish dish with its classic saffron-yellow rice, brightly colored veggies and combination of seafood and meats. For this recipe I used a small vintage Dansk paella pan for preparation of the down-sized original recipe. This version only serves 2-3.

INGREDIENTS
• ½ -3/4 Lb. Boneless, Skinless Thighs (Organic) chopped into bite size pieces
• ½ Tsp. Turmeric
• ½ Tsp. - Pimentón
• Dash (1/16th Tsp.) Oregano
• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• ½ Lb. Mild Italian Sausage (ground)
• 1 Medium Vidalia onion, chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper, chopped
• !0 oz Rice - Yellow Saffron pre-spiced Medium Rick
• 3/4 Cup Diced Plum or Amoroso Tomato
• ½ Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• Garlic to taste 2-3 large Garlic Cloves (Sub: Garlic Onion in season)
• 3 Cups – Organic, Chicken Broth, low sodium
• 1 Cup – Frozen Broccoli, thawed
• ½ Cup – Frozen Peas, thawed


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat Big Green Egg to 400 degrees. If you can’t swing grilling this recipe you can start it on the cook top and finish it in the oven (sacrilegious of course).
2. Add Turmeric, Pimentón, Oregano, salt and pepper to chicken stock and set aside.
3. Heat oil in Pan of Choice (Paella, Iron Skillet, Terracotta, etc) and precook the chicken and sausage then remove and set aside.
4. Sauté the onions and garlic, asparagus and peppers and when just about tender, add the tomatoes, sauté for 3-4 more minute then remove and set aside.
5. Change from direct to indirect setting and add the stock and rice, Paprika, Saffron (if applicable).
6. Stir ONCE and close the lid and sauté for 15 minutes checking the rice for tenderness before adding the remaining ingredients.
7. Add the sausage, chicken and sautéed veggies and peas and stir well and close the lid again for 8-10 minutes of simmering. ; Remove from heat and serve from Paella pan.

Paella

I wanted to try something different so a couple weeks back I queried the forum for recipes. This version is a mix of things I found on the internet and those I got back from the eggheadforum.com group.   I ordered this pan off of eBay and thought it would be here in time for Mothers Day...however it arrived a day late so had to wait until this weekend to prepare this dish. It turned out fantastic. If you cut the ingredients in half it would feed two VERY hungry people well as an option. ENJOY!

Paella; a yummy Spanish dish with its classic saffron-yellow rice, brightly colored veggies and combination of seafood and meats. For this recipe I even purchased a vintage Dansk paella pan for preparation (go to have all the right tools (or toys)). Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Lb. Boneless, Skinless Thighs or Breasts (Organic preferred) chopped into bite size pieces
1 Tsp. Turmeric
1 Tsp. - Pimentón
¼ Tsp. Oregano
1 Tsp. Parsley (dried, chopped)
1 Tsp. Sea Salt, fresh ground)
¼ Tsp. Black Pepper (fresh ground peppercorns)
EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

2 links – Spicy Italian Sausage (Sub: Chorizo), sliced thin

1 Large Sweet or Vidalia onion, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
2 Cups Rice Options: Medium Grain Rice + 1/4 teaspoon saffron thread, crushed OR Yellow Saffron pre-spiced Medium Rick
1 Cup Diced Plum Tomato
¼ Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

Garlic to taste 2-4 Garlic Cloves (Sub: Garlic Onion in season)

4 Cups – Chicken Broth, low sodium
1 Lb. Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Cup - Asparagus, cut diagonally
½ Cup – Frozen Peas, thawed

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat Big Green Egg to 400 degrees. If you can’t swing grilling this recipe you can start it on the cook top and finish it in the oven (sacrilegious of course).

2.Add Turmeric, Pimentón, Oregano, salt and pepper to chicken stock and set aside.
3.Heat oil in Pan of Choice (Paella, Iron Skillet, Terracotta, etc) and precook the chicken and sausage then remove from heat and set aside.
4.Sauté the onions and garlic, asparagus and peppers and set aside.
5.Change from direct to indirect setting and add the stock and rice, Paprika, Saffron (if applicable).
6.Stir ONCE and close the lid and sauté for 15 minutes checking the rice for tenderness before adding the remaining ingredients.
7.Add the shrimp, sausage, chicken and sautéed veggies, peas and stir well and close the lid again for 10 minutes of simmering.

Chicken Chorizo One Dish Meal on the BGE Happy V Day !

This dish combines the flavors of Chicken Thighs and Spanish Chorizo (sweet or spicy sausage) in a tasty ‘One Pot’ brown rice Dutch oven dish.

There are many varieties of Chorizo but Spanish chorizo is typically the most readily available in the grocery store. It is made from coarsely chopped pork and pork fat, seasoned with smoked pimentón (paprika) and salt. It is generally classed as either picante (spicy) or dulce (sweet), depending upon the type of smoked paprika used.

Chorizo comes in short, long, hard and soft varieties, some of which are suited to being eaten as an appetizer or tapas, whereas others are better suited to cooking. Leaner varieties are typically better suited to tapas, eaten at room temperature, whereas fattier versions are generally used for cooking. A general rule of thumb is that long, thin chorizos are sweeter and short chorizos are spicy, although this is not always the case.

Ingredients

 2.5-3.0 lbs - Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs

 .75-1.0 Lb. - Chorizo cut into bite size pieces (.75-1”)

 1 ½ cups - Long Grain Brown Rice (not instant)

 1-2 each - 4 oz. bottle White Zinfandel wine (or substitute ½ bottle white cooking wine)

 3 each - Roasted Red Peppers cut into thick slices (canned or prepared ahead of time on the grill)

 1 large - Sweet Onion, sliced paper thin

 3 cups - Chicken Broth

 1 cup - Frozen Peas

 Sea Salt and Black Peppercorns (season to taste)

 Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

 2 Tsp. - Oregano (if fresh chopped use 2 Tbsp.)

 ½ Tsp. - Crushed Red Pepper (flakes)

 6 cloves - Fresh Garlic, minced

 1 each - Bay Leaf

Preparation

1. Preheat Big Green Egg to a decent flame with grid in place for initial cook.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. In the Dutch oven (or separate cast iron skillet) heat up the EVOO and add the chicken (skin side down) and let cook until golden brown (6-8 minutes). You may have to work in batches and set aside.

3. Pour off excess fat if cooking in the Dutch oven and cook the Chorizo stirring frequently until browned (4-5 minutes max.) then transfer the Chorizo to a plate and leave the excess fat in the Dutch oven.

4. With Dutch oven still on the grid add the Oregano, Pepper flakes, Garlic, Onion and Bay Leaf and cook, stirring frequently until Onion begins to brown and get soft. Add the Rice and cook, stirring frequently until glossy (1-2 minutes) then add the wine and bring to a boil stirring frequently and reducing by about fifty percent.

5. Place Chicken, Chorizo and peppers into the rice mixture and bring to a boil, stirring frequently then remove from grid.

6. Remove the Grid and place the plate setter (legs up) in the egg. Stabilize dome temperature at 400 degrees and place the Dutch oven on the plate setter. Add the Chicken Broth, salt and pepper (to taste), cover and let cook for 60 to 70 minutes.

7. Remove from heat and uncover, stir in the frozen peas with a fork, cover Dutch oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Option: Roast the red peppers first if not using canned roasted peppers); serves 5-6.

Spatchcock Chicken Dinner Fixin's

Tonight's cook, spatchcock chicken marinated and injected with Mojo, baby peas in butter, fresh sweet corn on the cob (best of the season), french bread and jalapenos with fresh mozzarella. Time to crack open a few of our grillin' cookbooks and find something interesting to grill and get out of this cooking rut, chicken, steak, chicken, steak, pork tenderloin, steak, chicken...