Simple Chicken & Chorizo Paella
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Large Chicken breasts
150g Fresh Cooking Chorizo Picante
2 Small Onions, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 Chopped tomatoes, 3 plum or 1 tin
300g Catala paella or bomba rice
750g Hot chicken stock, a stck cube is fine but fresh is best
1 teaspoon La Chinata sweet smoked paprika
A good pinch La Molineta saffron threads, soaked in a little warm water to soften
125ml Good Spanish white wine - Barriobero White Rioja is ideal
200g Frozen peas (petite pois)
Black Pepper
£10.99
1.In a medium size paella pan (30+cm) preferably or a large frying pan or shallow casserole dish, heat one tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken pieces and fry gently until golden brown – around 3 mins then remove from the pan and set aside. Heat another tablespoon of the oil and fry the diced spicy chorizo pieces until brown and crispy, again remove from the pan and set aside
2.Heat the remaining oil in the paella pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and stir until soft; add the tomatoes, and cook for a few minutes to reduce and thicken; then stir in the paprika and a little ground black pepper.
3.Add the stock together with the wine, rice, softened saffron, chicken and chorizo pieces. Stir well to ensure everything is coated and then spread evenly across the pan.
4.Do not stir the rice again but bring to a gentle boil and cook for around 20m minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed, maintaining as even a heat across the bottom of the pan as possible. Gently stir in the peas about 5 minutes from the end.
5.Remove from the heat, cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices as you serve. You may find there is some crusty, slightly caramelised rice on the base of the pan; this is called the socarrat and is the sign of a well-cooked paella. Enjoy.