Meat

Paella – The Easy and Delicious way

Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 250g paella rice (risotto rice works just as well if you cannot find it); 500ml chicken stock; 2 medium onions; 1 large red pepper; 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped.; 2 cloves garlic, sliced.; 4 large, bone-in chicken thighs; Approx 6 chorizo sausages - buy the ones that need cooking rather than the cured, ready-to-eat variety.; A pinch of saffron threads; Heaped teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika (pimenton); Lemon wedges and parsley for garnish

Paella is a summer sensation but is great at any time of the year – and can even be done on the barbecue.

I once read that there are as many paella recipes as there are grandmothers in Spain, as they all have their own way! It is a traditional dish and I am not Spanish so I am sure that there are purists out there that would point out something wrong with my recipe but I have made this many times and it never, ever fails to hit the spot.

For the very best results, cook on the BBQ, replacing the lid as the rice cooks so that you get a really delicious, smoky flavour in the finished dish. Pay careful attention to the heat, you want a lower heat from the barbecue so that you don’t just burn all the liquid away but so that it cooks more slowly, absorbing the flavour as it goes.

It also works perfectly well cooked on a normal oven indoors, it’s just slightly less fun! A paella pan isn’t essential, any wide, deeper-sided pan will work. There are so many possible variations so get creative. I use different types of vegetables in the paella, for example green or red pepper, frozen peas, green beans. This version avoids seafood entirely in favour of a meat-based dish where the stars of the show are chicken, chorizo, rice and saffron – truly ingredients to be celebrated.

Print Recipe

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 30 mins Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

250g paella rice (risotto rice works just as well if you cannot find it)
500ml chicken stock
2 medium onions
1 large red pepper
2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped.
2 cloves garlic, sliced.
4 large, bone-in chicken thighs
Approx 6 chorizo sausages - buy the ones that need cooking rather than the cured, ready-to-eat variety.
A pinch of saffron threads
Heaped teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika (pimenton)
Lemon wedges and parsley for garnish

Instructions

First, I like to roast the chicken thighs. This crisps up the skin, gives extra flavour and makes sure that they are cooked through in the finished dish. I just rub with olive oil and salt and put into the oven at 190ºF to cook for around 20-30 minutes, depending on their size.

Make up the chicken stock and add the pinches of saffron. These will infuse into the stock for 5-10 minutes while you get on with starting the paella.

Next, slice the chorizo sausages and fry them in a very tiny amount of oil until they are cooked but not dry. Remove from the pan and set these aside. You should by now have loads of delicious chorizo oil in the pan.

Next, add the onions to this oil and gently fry for around 10 minutes, taking care not to let them brown. Add the red or green pepper, if using and cook for a further few minutes. Add the tomato and stir for a few minutes before adding the garlic and a heaped teaspoon of the sweet smoked paprika powder. This should smell great around now!

Add the rice and stir to coat them in the onion mixture. After 1 minute, add all of the stock and the chorizo, along with any oil or resting juices. Stir well and place in the chicken, skin side up. Season with salt and pepper.

Now, we leave it to cook. I stir the rice from time to time with a fork, especially at the edge of the pan where it will cook more slowly. I turn the pan on the hob to make sure that the rice is cooking evenly and add more water from the kettle if it looks to be drying out.

The rice should be cooked after around 20 minutes, but taste to make sure. To serve, twist some pepper and squeeze some lemon over, or even place some lemon wedges on top. A sprinkle of parsley will finish the job. Serve with green salad.

Notes

Many variations are possible. You can add some lovely smokey bacon or pancetta to the onions, or a handful of fennel seeds goes well. Rabbit goes especially well and can be used instead of chicken. Many recipes do not use the tomato but I just find a little bit of tomato loosens the dish and provides background flavour and ting of acidity against all of the luxurious flavours of saffron and smokey chorizo. If you have never done this dish on the BBQ, try it, you will never look back!

bbq chorizo paella

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