Chicken & Chorizo Paella

You’ve all heard of this Spanish Hero dish, and many of you have undoubtedly eaten it. But have you ever made it? This chicken, shrimp and chorizo sausage version is perfect for those of us who aren’t wild about seafood, but you can adjust to create your perfect combination of proteins.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

¼ cup olive oil 1 large red pepper, cut into ¼ inch strips 1 ¼ lb. boned chicken thigh, cut into 1 ¼ inch cubes 6 ½ ounces chorizo sausages, cut into ¾ inch slices 6 ½ ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped 6 ounces fresh green peas (frozen if they aren’t in season) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley ½ teaspoon saffron threads soaked in ¼ cup hot water 2 cups short-grain rice, such as Bomba 3 cups hot chicken stock salt and pepper to taste 6 lemon wedges, for serving 

-Heat the olive oil in a paella pan or in a large, heavy-bottomed, shallow frying pan over medium heat.  Add the red pepper strips, cook, stirring for about 6 minutes or until softened, then remove from the pan. 

-Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, or until brown on all sides.  Remove from the pan.  Add the chorizo to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until golden on all sides.  Remove from the pan.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, and lemon rind to the pan, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

-Stir in the tomato and the sauteed red peppers, and cook for another 5 minutes or until the tomato is soft. 

-Add the rosemary, parsley, saffron mixture, rice, chicken, sausage and salt and pepper.  Stir briefly then add the stock.  (Stir in uncooked seafood, if using, at this point.) Sprinkle peas over the top.  Do not stir at this point.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from the heat, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes (gently stir in the cooked seafood, if using, at this point.)  Arrange paella on a serving platter or serve from the skillet. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

(To get the authentic crispy bottom, known as socarrat, stop stirring the paella once the broth is added, use a wide, thin metal skillet, and increase the heat to medium-high for the last 1–2 minutes of cooking until you hear a crackling sound. The rice should be cooked, the liquid absorbed, and the bottom caramelized.)

Place olive oil in large shallow skillet, then add red peppers and saute about 5 minutes over medium-high heat until they are softened. Remove from pan.

Add the chicken to the hot oil in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, until browned. Then do the same with the chorizo.

Add the garlic, lemon rind, softened red peppers and chopped tomatoes to the remaining oil then cook and stir for about 5 minutes, until softened.

Return the chicken and chorizo to the skillet along with the cooked tomatoes and red pepeprs.

-Add the rosemary, parsley, saffron mixture, rice, browned chicken and sausage and salt and pepper.  Stir briefly then add the stock.  Sprinkle peas over the top. 

Paella can be served right from the pan as they do on the streets in Spain.

The added saffron colors the rice to the typical yellow hue.

The rice should be cooked until each grain is plump and soft (except for the crispy grains on the bottom of the pan)

Paella creates a color palette of beautiful contrasts and draws you in with its luscious plump ingredients.

Whether served in the skillet or on a large platter, garnish with lemon wedges and fresh parsley. It’s not as hard as it may look to create this beautiful, so, so appetizing Spanish classic!

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**If you are a fish lover, add seafood to the meat combination if you would like. Fish can be cooked in the stew once the stock is added to cook. Or you can cook the fish separately ahead of time, warm it up, then stir gently into the rice mixture before letting it rest for 10 minutes. Check to make sure the seafood is correctly cooked before serving. Commonly used seafood in Paella include:

‍ ‍ Shrimp or Prawns: (often kept in the shell for flavor)

Mussels & Clams: Steamed in the pan until they open

‍ ‍Squid/Calamari: Cleaned and cut into rings or small pieces.

Firm Fish: Monkfish, halibut, or cod chunks.

**Rice for Paella - The best rice to use for Paella is a short to medium grain rice. “Bomba”, a Spanish rice, is recommended but may be hard to find. Try ordering it online. A good, more readily available rice for Paella is Calrose Medium-Grain rice. Do not use Arborio rice which is also a short-grain Italian rice, as it soaks up too much moisture and becomes creamy. For Paella you want a rice that stays firm enough to keep its shape and texture.