Chicken and chorizo stew

December is always a crazy month, packed with family, friends and parties.  And it's the month that I'm doubly excited to go to the mail box for the promise of Christmas cards.  The rest of the year I'm only excited to go to the mailbox for cooking magazines.  But with all the holiday hubbub, even my beloved cooking mags took a backseat.  I'm finally catching up and was pleasantly surprised to find that the January issue of Cooking Light, which arrived here right in the middle of the holiday mayhem, had several recipes I couldn't wait to try out.  This recipe was the first of several I'll be piloting and while it's heavily modified to our tastes, it turned out to be an excellent winter meal.

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
6 garlic cloves, divided
1 onion, quartered
1 medium carrot, unpeeled, chopped
3/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, divided
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 cups cubed red potato
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
6 ounces chopped Spanish chorizo
1/2 teaspoon cracked red pepper
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1/8 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt to taste

Combine 4 cups chicken broth, 3 whole garlic cloves, onion, carrot, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper and a hefty pinch of salt in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat.

The poaching liquid awaiting the chicken

Add chicken to pan; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 14 minutes or until chicken is done. While the chicken is poaching, mince the remaining garlic, cube the potatoes and chop the onion and bell pepper.

Remove chicken, reserving cooking liquid; cool. Shred chicken. Strain cooking liquid through a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Wipe pan with paper towels. Sauté sausage over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Add potato, onion, bell pepper and a pinch of salt; sauté 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, cracked red pepper, saffron and remaining black pepper; sauté 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add reserved cooking liquid; bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning according to your tastes.

 Ready to simmer

Simmer 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shredded chicken; simmer 5 minutes. Check seasoning again.  While the dish is simmering, add flour and remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth to a container with a tight sealing lid.  Shake until all the flour is dissolved and no lumps remain.  Add to stew and bring to boil, and then let simmer for 5 more minutes stirring occasionally.  This will thicken the stew.  Ladle about 1 cup stew into each of 4 bowls.

 Chicken and chorizo stew, ready to be enjoyed!