Lab Station 01 Modernist Recipe Book
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February 24, 2026

Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Stew

Main Course 3 phases 2 portions chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
Specimen photograph for Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Stew

Primary Ingredient Basis: 600 g chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) = 100%

Spicy tomato stew with cured chorizo, tinned beans, and a red wine reduction. Serve over rice.

PHASE A — BROWN CHICKEN + RENDER CHORIZO

Components

Ingredient Quantity Scaling
Olive oil 20 g 3.33%
Chorizo (cured Spanish), sliced 150 g 25.00%
Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) 600 g 100.00%
Salt (initial) 8 g 1.33%
Black pepper 1 g 0.17%

Method

  1. Heat a heavy pot over medium heat. Add olive oil.
  2. Add chorizo and fry 2–3 minutes until fat renders and edges start to crisp.
  3. Remove chorizo and reserve, leaving fat in the pot.
  4. Season chicken with salt + pepper.
  5. Increase heat to medium-high and brown chicken hard in batches in the chorizo fat. Aim for deep colour; avoid crowding.
  6. Remove chicken and reserve.

PHASE B — AROMATICS, WINE GLAZE, TOMATO STEW + BEANS

Components

Ingredient Quantity Scaling
Onion, diced 200 g 33.33%
Garlic, minced 15 g 2.50%
Smoked paprika 6 g 1.00%
Ground cumin 3 g 0.50%
Ground coriander 3 g 0.50%
Bird’s eye chili, minced 8 g 1.33%
Tomato paste 15 g 2.50%
Red wine 125 ml 20.83%
Fish sauce 10 ml 1.67%
Worcestershire sauce 15 ml 2.50%
Sherry vinegar 15 ml 2.50%
Whole tomatoes (tinned), hand-crushed 400 g 66.67%
Water 250 g 41.67%
Beans (tinned, drained; cannellini/kidney/black/pinto) 240 g 40.00%

Method

  1. Lower heat to medium. Add onion to the pot fat and cook 6–8 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
  2. Add garlic. Cook 30–45 seconds.
  3. Add paprika, cumin, coriander, chili, and tomato paste. Bloom 60–90 seconds, stirring, until fragrant and the paste darkens slightly.
  4. Add red wine and reduce to a glaze (nearly dry; thick syrupy film on the pot).
  5. Add crushed tomatoes, water, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sherry vinegar. Stir to dissolve fond.
  6. Return chicken to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and stew 30–45 minutes until thighs are tender.
  7. Add drained beans for the final 8–10 minutes to heat through without breaking down.
  8. Uncover for the last few minutes to tighten sauce as needed. Adjust salt to final balance.

PHASE C — RICE + SERVE

Components

Ingredient Quantity Scaling
Rice (dry; basmati/jasmine/white) 160 g 26.67%
Water (for rice) 320 g 53.33%
Salt (for rice water) 2 g 0.33%

Method

  1. Cook rice (1:2 rice:water by mass): 160 g rice + 320 g water + 2 g salt.
  2. Spoon stew over rice. Keep the sauce tight and glossy.

STRUCTURAL NOTES

  • Browning chicken and rendering chorizo builds a fat-and-fond base that carries smoked paprika and cumin.
  • Red wine reduced to a glaze concentrates fruit/tannin and becomes the backbone of the sauce once tomatoes hit the pot.
  • Blooming spices in fat prevents raw, dusty flavour and distributes heat evenly through the stew.
  • Beans go in late to avoid chalky skins and blowout; they should read as creamy and intact.

FAILURE MODES

  • Symptom: Sauce is thin and soupy.

  • Likely cause: Too much added water, simmer too low/short, or pot covered the entire time.

  • Corrective action: Uncover and simmer to tighten; next time add less water and reduce wine to a true glaze.

  • Symptom: Stew tastes harsh and bitter.

  • Likely cause: Burnt spices or garlic, or wine reduced too hard at high heat.

  • Corrective action: Bloom spices briefly on medium (30–60 seconds) and add wine before anything scorches.

  • Symptom: Chicken is tight/dry.

  • Likely cause: Browning too far into doneness and then over-stewing at a hard boil.

  • Corrective action: Brown for colour, then stew at a gentle simmer; stop when thighs are tender (~85 C texture endpoint).

  • Symptom: Beans are broken/mushy.

  • Likely cause: Added too early and boiled aggressively.

  • Corrective action: Add beans only for final 8–10 minutes and keep simmer gentle.