← Nouns Cooking · Spanish

Ingredients

• 1.1 l hot chicken stock
• 1 pinch large pinch of saffron threads
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 500 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 100 g Chorizo, sliced (optional)
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (pimentón)
• 2 ripe tomatoes, grated, skins discarded
• 350 g paella rice (bomba or calasparra)
• 100 g frozen peas or chopped green beans
• 12 large raw prawns, shell on
• 300 g Mussels, cleaned (optional)
• Salt
• 1 Lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 handful Parsley, chopped

Method

1. Crumble the saffron into the hot stock and keep it warm. Heat the oil in a 30–35 cm paella pan or your widest frying pan over medium-high heat.
2. Season the chicken and fry it for 6–8 min, turning, until browned all over. Add the chorizo, if using, for the last 2 min so it releases its red oil.
3. Push the meat to the edges, add the onion and pepper to the middle and cook for 8 min until soft. Stir in the garlic and paprika for 30 seconds, then the grated tomato, and cook for 5 min until it darkens into a thick paste.
4. Scatter in the rice and stir for 1 minute to coat it in the sofrito. Pour in all the stock, season with salt, stir once to spread the rice evenly, then stop stirring for good.
5. Simmer briskly for 10 min, then turn the heat down to low. Scatter over the peas and press the prawns and mussels (if using) into the rice. Cook for 8–10 min more, until the rice has absorbed the liquid, the prawns are pink and the mussels open. Turn the pan now and then so it cooks evenly, and check the chicken has reached 75°C (165°F).
6. For the socarrat, turn the heat up high for 1–2 min, until you hear the rice crackle and smell it toasting, but not burning. Take it off the heat, cover with a clean tea towel or foil and rest for 5 min. Serve from the pan with lemon wedges and parsley.

Tips

• Never stir once the stock is in: stirring releases starch and makes it creamy like risotto instead of separate and crisp-bottomed.
• Cool any leftover rice within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge and eat it within a day, reheating until piping hot.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Jamie Oliver Great British Chefs BBC Good Food