Casa Mabini Chicken Stew

Had dinner at Gwammy's last night and she cooked up great chicken stew, the recipe of which, she reminded us, has been in her family since pre-war days when the family lived along Mabini St., in Ermita:

2 chickens, cut up
1 small can garbanzos
1 medium can red pimientos, cut up
3 pieces carrots, diced
8 pieces medium potatoes, diced (you can substitute marble potatoes)
4 pieces chorizo bilbao, sliced (yes, she used the Don Anastacio Alba's chorizo Vicky sent over)
1 medium bottle of olives (green, black--whatever you have in the ref)
2 heads garlic
2 large white onion
1 chicken seasoning cube to taste (take your pick, Knorr or Maggi)

Saute garlic & onion in olive oil.  Pop in chorizo.  Stir-fry for a minute, then turn the heat on high, and add the chicken.  Wait for the sizzle to die down (the chicken will have brown grill marks from the high heat, preventing the juices to run off) and then add the garbanzos, including the brine.  Drop in the olives, excluding the brine.  Put the seasoning cube, then add salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a rapid boil for one minute then bring the heat to low.  After around three minutes put red pimientos and potatoes.  After another 5 minutes, pop in the carrots.  Should be done in around 30 minutes, as soon as the chicken is cooked.

I would have added button mushrooms, but Gwammy says that was never in there version of chicken stew.  I would have also added a little paprika, but Gwammy also says that would already be a variation on the theme.  Definitely this style has no tomato sauce, which would make the dish chicken afritada, hehehe...