chicken paella

You can&#8217;t beat a paella &#8211; Spain&#8217;s answer to a one-pan supper. Be it cooked over an open fire, BBQ, or in the comfort of your kitchen, the chicken, chorizo, and piquillo peppers ensure this saffron-spiced rice is FULL of flavour. With a wedge of lemon or some aioli &#8211; it&#8217;s perfection. If seafood is more your thing, try this Valencian noodle paella packed full of squid, prawns and mussels!

Chicken and pepper paella with chorizo

litre chicken stock

saffron strands

olive oil

chicken

onion,

garlic cloves, crushed

chorizo sausage, chopped

tomatoes,

paella rice (Spanish bomba rice

piquillo

parsley

pitted black olives,

Lemon wedges and aioli (garlicky mayo – see tips) to serve

You’ll also need…

Heat the stock in the small pan until it comes to the boil. Add the saffron strands, then remove from the heat. Set the pan aside for at least half an hour to infuse until required (see Make Ahead).

Heat half the oil in the paella/ frying pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then fry in batches for 5 minutes on each side until evenly browned (or see tips). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Add the remaining oil to the same pan and fry the onion, garlic and a little salt over a medium heat for 10 minutes until slightly softened, but not browned. Next add the chorizo sausage and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring and breaking it down, until lightly golden. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes until you have a thick paste. Add the rice, then stir well for 1 minute to coat each grain.

Pour in the saffron infused stock, then return the chicken and any resting juices to the pan. Bring to the boil and cook uncovered – without stirring – over a low-medium heat for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked but with a little firmness. It should be sticky at the bottom and there will be steam holes appearing over the surface of the rice.

Scatter the peppers, parsley and olives over the top of the rice, carefully cover with foil and crimp it to seal, then set aside for 5 minutes to warm the peppers and olives through. Uncover, stir well, then serve with lemon wedges and aioli.

The rice is perfectly tender and scented with saffron, there are red bell peppers and onions for flavor and texture, and the chicken is soft and moist. I don’t have a paella pan and used a large skillet. Bomba Rice is essential and rather than buying saffron, he recommended I use a packet of Paellero. The paella is ready in about 45 minutes, far exceeded my expectations, my family raved about it, and you’ll want to make it again and again.

Easy Chicken Paella

olive oil, divided

sweet Vidalia onion

red bell pepper, trimmed,

pressed

about 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast,

1.1 pounds Bomba Rice

chicken broth

packet Paellero

tomatoes

water (or additional chicken broth),

peas (I used frozen that

salt and pepper,

lemon wedges,

To a large skillet (15+ inches in diameter...

To a large skillet (15+ inches in diameter if possible) or paella pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, onion, pepper, and sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables begin to soften and lightly caramelize, about 5 to 8 minutes; stir intermittently.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about...

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute; stir intermittently. Remove the sofrito (the onion, pepper, and garlic) from the pan; set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, chicken,...

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook the chicken until it’s about 50% cooked through, stirring and flipping intermittently. Remove from the pan; set aside with the sofrito.

Add the rice and cook to toast the...

Add the rice and cook to toast the rice for about 3 minutes, stirring intermittently.

To the chicken broth, add 1 packet Paellero,...

To the chicken broth, add 1 packet Paellero, and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth to the rice.

Add the sofrito and chicken back to the...

Add the sofrito and chicken back to the skillet, add the tomatoes, 1 cup water, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender, chicken is cooked through, and liquid is absorbed. If necessary, you may need to add more than 1 cup water (or chicken broth) based on the texture of the rice. Taste it near the end of the cooking period and if it’s too firm and all the liquid is absorbed or nearly so, add a bit more water using your judgment.

Add the peas, parsley, stir to combine, and...

Add the peas, parsley, stir to combine, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to warm through.

Taste the paella and add salt and pepper,...

Taste the paella and add salt and pepper, if necessary, to taste. The saltiness of the chicken broth, tomatoes, whether you used Paellero, and personal preference for salt and pepper will dictate how much to use. I used about 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately. Paella...

Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately. Paella will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

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Chicken and pepper paella with chor...

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The most viewed chicken paella recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine