A delightful citrus herb chicken chorizo dish that’s meant to share. It’s seasoned with sun-dried tomatoes, orange juice, floral thyme and salty olives.
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Are you ready to introduce your taste buds to a delicious Spanish chicken dish? This recipe was inspired by the simple yet bold flavors of Basque cuisine from Northern Spain.
Although the main instructions are for an instant pot, you can make this citrus herb chicken on the stove top instead. The pressure cooker just speeds up the cooking.
💛 Why you'll love it
This dish has a hybrid of flavors but certain ingredients like the oranges and chorizo really stand out. The amazing combination is sure to be loved by all.
The combination of citrus and herbs pairs well with the chicken and chorizo sausage. Adding chewy sun-dried tomatoes and the rich salty taste of olives brings the flavor combination to a whole new level.
But the best part of the dish is that's it's so simple to prepare!
📋 Ingredients
The recipe combines a few ingredients that you may not include in your usual meals. So it's a dish you may have to plan for. However, you shouldn't have any trouble finding them at your local grocery store.
Chicken
It's best to use skinned chicken thighs with bones for the best flavor. But you can use boneless and skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
Chorizo
For the most authentic taste, be sure to use a Spanish chorizo sausage and not Mexican chorizo. They have different flavor profiles. The Spanish version is typically made with garlic and smoked paprika while Mexican pork chorizo usually has vinegar and chile peppers.
Onion and garlic
Onions add a subtle sweetness to the dish after browning and garlic heightens the flavor. You can reduce the amount of onions to cut back on the carbs.
Olives
Don't skip the olives! They not only add in some saltiness, but they also give the dish some chewy bits.
Chicken broth
You'll need adequate liquid to pressure cook. Although water can be used, chicken stock or both provides additional flavor.
Sun-dried tomatoes
For added color and texture, sun-dried tomatoes are included in the dish. They also add in an intense tart yet sweet flavor.
Orange
To give the dish a touch of citrus, fresh squeezed orange juice is used. However, if you're concerned about the sugar added from the juice, you can use fresh lemon juice or lime juice instead as they are not as sweet.
Fresh herbs
Fresh thyme leaves are sprinkled into the dish before cooking and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro is added as a garnish.
Note: You'll find the full amounts used in the recipe card with green background at the bottom of this post.
💭 Tips
- Try a tomato base. You can easily change the flavor by omitting the citrus and make a tomato base instead. Just add in crushed tomatoes or some tomato paste.
- Cook the meat together. To save time, the chicken and chorizo can be sautéed together. The sausage will also cook faster if cut into pieces.
- Add a touch of wine. A little white cooking wine can be poured in after sautéing the meat to deglaze the pan and add flavor.
🔪 Instructions
Just follow these step by step instructions for cooking this simple recipe perfectly in the Instant Pot or on the stove top.
Brown chicken
Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and brown the chicken on the "Sauté" setting of your Instant Pot. Or, brown the chicken over medium-high heat on the stove top.
Add seasonings
After removing the chicken from pot, add another tablespoon of oil and sauté the onion, garlic, thyme, and salt for several minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
Sauté chorizo
Add the chorizo to the onion mixture and sauté it for about five minutes.
Add remaining ingredients
The rest of the ingredients are then added to the pot and given a quick stir before covering with a lid.
It's then cooked on the "Poultry" setting of an Instant Pot for 20 minutes. You can also simmer it on the stove over medium heat for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Final cooking
After the cooking time is up, open the valve on the pressure cooker and allow for a quick pressure release before opening the lid. If cooked on the stovetop, just remove from the heat.
🍽️ Serving suggestions
It's best to serve the dish immediately. It's recommended to garnish with some fresh cilantro.
Chorizo chicken goes well with plain cauliflower rice or roasted radishes. Because of the complex flavor, I'd stick with a simple side. But cilantro lime cauliflower rice is a nice complement.
🙋 FAQs
Let's go over some common questions that people often ask about chorizo as they may not be familiar with the Spanish sausage.
Chorizo is a type of pork sausage originating in Spain, Portugal, and Mexico. It is usually made from ground pork with red chile peppers, smoked paprika, garlic, salt, and other spices.
Chorizo sausage has a similar nutritional value as other sausages. However, it tends to be spicier and less sweet than other types of sausage.
You can eat chorizo raw or cooked. To cook it, you can pan fry it or place it in an oven at 400°F for 5-10 minutes.
Pork, chicken, and steak are all great meats to combine with chorizo.
📚 Related recipes
Are you looking for more keto Instant Pot recipes to get more use out of your electric pressure cooker? You'll find a few of our favorites below.
- Coconut dairy-free yogurt is really easy to make in your pressure cooker if you have a yogurt setting.
- Pressure cooker whole chicken speeds up the time it takes to cook a whole chicken.
- Instant Pot bone broth is a great way to make homemade broth quickly.
★ FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, AND INSTAGRAM FOR MORE EASY KETO RECIPES.
📖 Recipe
Citrus Herb Chicken Chorizo in the Instant Pot
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon grass-fed butter, ghee or avocado oil 43 g, divided
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs or two whole legs
- 1¼ teaspoon sea salt 4 g, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion thickly sliced
- 4 fresh garlic cloves minced
- 5 fresh thyme sprigs leaves removed and stems discarded
- ½ lb chorizo 230 g, casing removed
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes 18 g
- ½ cup pitted green olives 67 g
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice 79 ml
- ¾ cup chicken bone broth 177 ml
- Handful of fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons (29 g) of healthy fat of choice to the Instant Pot and press “Sauté.” Once the fat has melted, add the chicken thighs, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of sea salt and brown for about 2½ minutes per side. Remove the browned chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon (14 g) of healthy fat of choice, onion, garlic, thyme leaves and the remaining ¾ teaspoon of sea salt, sautéing for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chorizo and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, orange juice and bone broth. Give it a good stir. Add the browned chicken, making sure it’s submerged and some of the liquid is ladled over it.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, making sure the steam release valve is sealed. Press the “Poultry” setting, then increase the time using the “+” button until you reach 20 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot is done and beeps, press “Keep Warm/Cancel.” Using an oven mitt, “quick release”/open the steam release valve. When the steam venting stops and the silver dial drops, carefully open the lid.
- Serve immediately, topped with fresh cilantro.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First published on November 8, 2017. Updated on February 13, 2022, with new photos, additional recipe information, and cooking tips.
Emily Kemp
This sounds utterly delicious, need to get an instant pot asap!
fdr
I tried this out in my instantpot and it came out amazing! Even my kids enjoyed it with a side of white rice. Making it again as I type! Thanks for sharing!
Mary
It would be great to have this with another way to cook it; like a slow cooker or dutch oven.
Lisa
You can cook it in a dutch oven or slow cooker. Just follow the directions, but cook longer.
Eunice Robertson
I'm sorry, but what is an instant pot? Here in South Africa we're a bit behind the rest of the world.
Lisa
It's a multi-function electric pressure cooker. There are other brands, but Instant Pot is the most popular one.