Paella

Chef: innocent

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Prawns, mussels, clams, crispy chicken, chorizo, peas, tomatoes – it’s a one-pan dinner with a bit of everything in it. Simply leave out any bits you’re not keen on or just chuck the whole lot into the mix. You’ll need to use your biggest casserole pan or stock pot for this recipe (and keep a beady eye on it to ensure the rice doesn’t stick).

6 skin-on boneless free-range chicken breasts or thighs plain flour, for dusting

Olive oil

100g cooking chorizo (make sure it's the softer chorizo used for cooking, not the cured salami sort), chopped

6 slices of streaky bacon, chopped

1 onion, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

2 large pinches of saffron

2 litres chicken stock

500g paella rice

2 handfuls of peas, fresh or frozen

6 big king prawns (shell on)

500g mussels and /or clams, well scrubbed

2 small squid, cleaned and cut into bite-sized rings

2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes

2 lemons

a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stalks removed

Preheat your oven to 180⁰C/350⁰F/gas mark 4.

Dust the chicken with flour, salt and pepper and fry them in a little olive oil in a large pan until golden brown all over. Then cut into strips, place on a baking tray and pop into the bottom of the oven while you get on with everything else.

Place the pan on a medium heat and fry the chorizo and bacon until crispy. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft. Pour in half the stock, add the saffron and heat till bubbling.

Once bubbling, add the rice and leave to cook for about 20 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally to stop the rice sticking. Add a little more stock if needed.

After 20 minutes, the rice should be nearly cooked (it needs a bit of bite – not too mushy, not filling-inducing). Add the rest of the stock, the peas, prawns, mussels and/or clams, and squid and stir well.

Squash the tomatoes into the pan with your hands, then cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Once the prawns have turned pink and the mussels and clams have opened, make sure the rice is properly cook and turn off the heat.

Discard any unopened clams and mussels, then add the chicken strips, which should be cooked and crispy by now.

Squeeze half a lemon over the top, scatter with choped parsley and serve with the rest of the lemons, cut into wedges.

Serves
6

Preparation Time
30 minutes

Cooking Time
30 minutes

Main ingredients
Shellfish, Chicken, Fish, Pork, Vegetables, Rice

Recipe Type
Dinner, Entertaining, Family Dinners, Tapas, One Pot

Cuisine
Seafood, Spanish

Special Info
Gluten free, Nut free, Egg free, Dairy free

Level of Difficulty
Easy