Classic Spanish Chorizo Rice

Spanish chorizo rice ​​is one of the most loved recipes by all Spaniards, and especially by Andalusians.

This should come as no surprise, as it is an easy recipe to make and is made with common ingredients.

If you like rice and want to raise its level, or if you simply like Andalusian recipes, then you are in the right place!

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Background of the Dish

This recipe for chorizo ​​with rice has accompanied the inhabitants of southern Spain for many years. 

One of the reasons for its success is that you only need cheap and easy-to-find ingredients to make it, so it could be done by families of all social classes.

Thanks to its delicious flavor, where the chorizo ​​is the main star without any doubt, this recipe managed to stand out over other Spanish chorizo recipes with rice. 

So if you want to prepare a simple and delicious recipe, continue reading this article where you will learn how to cook chorizo, techniques to store this dish, and the different changes you can make in the recipe, among other things.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Chorizo Rice

Spanish chorizo is my favorite recipe because it is really simple, and fast, and you won’t need any weird or hard-to-find ingredients. 

The doubt that might come up while you’re reading the list of ingredients is what is chorizo? Well, that’s very easy to answer, chorizo is a type of Spanish sausage, and it’s easier to find.

Of course, if you can’t find it you can replace it with any type of sausage or you can even make homemade chorizo!

Ingredients

• 2 cups (270g) Spanish style chorizo
• 1 onion
• ½  red bell pepper, diced
• ½  green bell pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tomato, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 ⅔  cups (290g) long-grain rice
• 1 tbsp lemony thyme
• 3 ½  cups (750ml) water
• 1 g saffron powder
• 2 teaspoon chicken broth powder (or bouillon cube)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

How to Make Spanish Chorizo Rice – Step by Step Guide

1) To start with this Spanish chorizo rice, slice the chorizo sausage in any size or shape of your choice. Do the same with the vegetables listed so you have everything prepared for later.

2) Grab a saucepan and cook the sliced ​​chorizo ​​for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until a little oil is released, stirring occasionally. Remove chorizo from the pan and set it aside.

3) Up next add olive oil and heat for one minute. Then add the onion, red pepper, green pepper, a pinch of salt, and cook until tender. 

4) After that add the tomato, and minced garlic, and cook until the tomato is tender, for about 5 minutes.

5) Then add the chorizo, rice, and thyme and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes so that the rice absorbs the flavors.

6) For the final step add water, saffron, and chicken broth powder, and mix well. Adjust the salt point if necessary.

7) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook with the lid on for 20 minutes. With the help of a fork, move the rice to make it lighter and your Spanish chorizo rice is ready to serve.

Substitution of Ingredients

This is a pretty easy recipe to make, and the ingredients are usually available everywhere. Nonetheless, I’ll show you some replacements that you can make to the ingredients or the Spanish chorizo rice cooking process.

The first thing that you can do is to change the way of cooking the rice. You can make instant pot Spanish rice.

All you have to do is to use the same amount of water (or broth), add the seasoning, rice and cook them according to your instant pot instructions. 

If you do this, you should still cook the chorizo in a saucepan with olive oil and add it later to the seasoned rice.

Besides that, something that happens with other recipes with chorizo is that it might be hard to find Spanish chorizo sausage in your country. 

If this is your case, then you can replace it with any type of sausage, although if you go to a butcher they should be able to prepare chorizo. 

One of the best parts about Andalusian cuisine is that there are multiple recipes where the rice is the main start, so if you don’t like chorizo you can try one of those. 

You can try rice with shrimp, or seafood and if you’re looking for a recipe with rice that is truly delicious, our traditional Spanish paella recipe is there for you.

Yet, if chorizo works perfectly for you, then you must try our traditional Spanish migas recipe, the Spanish chorizo recipe with cider, and the Spanish omelette with chorizo, which will blow your mind.

And other recipes with chorizo you need to try as well are the Spanish chorizo pasta with tomato sauce, the Spanish chorizo casserole, and the Spanish chorizo paella.

Tips on Serving Spanish Chorizo Rice

If you make this Spanish chorizo recipe, there are multiple ways to serve this dish, and here I’ll show you my personal favorites. 

I like to boil other vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc, and serve them alongside this dish. Or if you want to eat something that has no meat at all, try our easy Spanish rice and beans.

In the same way that it happens with other chorizo sausage recipes, you can serve this at any time of the day, but I recommend serving it at lunch if you suffer from any stomach problem, such as heartburn.

This is because the pork in the chorizo ​​can be very heavy on the stomach and if you eat it at night you do not have enough time to digest it without feeling bad.

If you want to eat something similar for dinner, then I encourage you to try making Spanish chorizo soup or Spanish rice soup, since the chorizo is less strong in that recipe.

And another beloved recipe in Spain is the Spanish rice and beans with pork that’s also perfect for lunch.

How to Store Spanish Chorizo Rice

In this case, the rice has a dry texture so it can be frozen without problems. Wrap the rice in plastic wrap, then use a freezer bag or a suitable container.

If you make this recipe, your rice shouldn’t be watery (that is, the broth is absorbed) but if you want to freeze rice that has broth, first remove the broth by straining it. 

Freeze the rice on one side and the broth on the other. In this way, the result will be better. To defrost, leave it in the fridge or fill a container with hot water, put the rice in a Ziploc-type bag, and let it rest for half an hour.

It can last up to 1 month in the freezer and from 3 to 5 days in the fridge.

Recipe Card: Spanish Chorizo Rice

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